Tag Archives: Space Station

Ring Station: does what it says on the tin

This LEGO space station from OA KD is giving off some very 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes, don’t you think? It’s a delightful mix of greebles in a ring that gives this station its name. At first glance it looks like there are LEDs used to light it up, but that’s actually down to the clever lighting. The light just out of shot is reflecting off the transparent bricks in the station (and in the trails of the nearest spaceship), passing very convincingly for a nearby star. I think it’s this that gives it that Kubrick sci-fi flavour. That and the masterful construction, of course!

Destination Ring Station

Research station amid a vibrant reef

Working with a new part can be a challenge. Finding how they fit into the system can lead to surprises and disappointments. Ultimately, dedicated builders like Tom Loftus find a way. Armed with tons of teal from the Ninjago Jungle Dragon and challenged to examine the functionality of the transparent VIDIYO Canopy (as he calls it), Tom found himself under the sea at this Reef Station. He gave me some insight into some of the extra pieces he worked into the model, including finally making use of the drone elements introduced last year.

Reef Station

Read on to see more of the details in this colorful underwater scene

This massive Rebel Alliance space station is 12 feet long and lit with 19 strands of LEDs

The last 18 months have brought a number of challenges, and we’ve all had to find our own unique way to deal with them. Corry Lankford dealt with the stress by letting his mind get lost among the stars – Star Wars and Starcraft, specifically. The result is an original space station of his own design: the ST-01, a staging base where Rebel Alliance pilots vet prototype Starcraft to determine if they’re combat worthy.

This beast of a build measures 12 feet in diameter. But you don’t really get a sense of just how big it is unless you scope these pics of Corry hard at work on it.

Click here to take a tour of this mammoth space station

That’s definitely no moon...

If you’ve seen portions of this LEGO space station by Tim Goddard, then it may be because we wrote about it back when it was just Platform 7. As minifig-kind continues exploring the vastness of space, so grows Tim’s elegant outpost. I like to think that the oil rig-like Platform 7 was just the start of an expansive exploration colony. Tim built a hexagonal landing pad as the second module of the space station, and I eagerly await the next sections.

Bringing it all together

Looking at the aesthetics of this sci-fi playground, it has the usual colour scheme of realistic space stations, but Tim makes it interesting with a masterful balance of smooth whites and grey greebles that only he can achieve. While it is different from the retro feel of most Classic Space builds, this station conveys a futuristic look. This is all thanks to the new torsos provided by recent Creator sets and collectible minifigures. After all, space exploration can only move forwards.

Complete structure

Be sure to check out more space-y stuff by Tim Goddard, and if you want a fun story to his Classic Space builds, he also wrote LEGO Space: Building the Future with fellow builder and LEGO IDEAS Exo Suit designer Pete Reid.

Tim, Pete, if you’re reading this, please write a sequel!
xoxo, Mansur “Waffles”

*Pink Floyd space noises intensify*

A long journey to colonise distant star systems require long, space-y psychedelic songs made by musicians such as Pink Floyd, Gong, and Brian Bennet. I was listening to Life on Mars by Dexter Wansel, when I saw pictures of The Ark by Ben Smith. One year in the making, it is a massive rotating vessel which resembles something from the television series The Expanse. Inside, tiny nature habitats built by collaborators Tim Goddard and Inthert provide residence for the people voyaging across the stars.

The Ark

Almost a meter in height, this SHIP hides a custom steel frame to bear the weight of electrical motors, LED lights, batteries, and thousands of LEGO parts. This behemoth of a build is as detailed as it is large, with plenty of greebling to feast the eyes. When taking a closer look, one can marvel at the geometric achievements of circular and conical sections of varying diameters. As for those not as keen for grey space machinery, there is some microscale landscaping by Tim Goddard and Inthert. For there must be life within this cold ship, as the inhabitants yearn to settle down on a distant planet.

The Ark

See Ben Smith’s flick album documenting the long and arduous build process of The Ark. And put on some Pink Floyd while you’re at it…

Ezekiel saw a wheel

A few years back I was taking measurements for a custom rug that was going to adorn my living room. It wasn’t a perfect rectangle as it needed an angled corner cut out to accommodate the fireplace. It occurred to me then, as I was trying to recall forgotten formulas, that I was using geometry and algebra outside of high school. They warned us to pay attention as we might need this someday. Unlike me, it seems Nathan Proudlove has a firm grasp on all the algebra and geometry the world has to offer as evidenced by this awe-inspiring space station. The inner rim of the hub boasts glass-enclosed habitat modules and green spaces. The spin of the wheel in space would create gravity, keeping the inhabitants within safe and comfortable.

Zooming in and taking a gander at some of the individual modules is the only way to really appreciate what a massive undertaking this must have been. Here is a particularly interesting shot that showcases the complex geometry that helped create the large round structure. Minifig legs in orange offers a clever bit of greebling.

Space Station

A shot of the central hub shows two smaller craft exiting the space station. Another wheel stacked behind this one would have made a near perfect replica of the space station from 2001: A Space Odyssey. I can just hear Hal’s pompous not-quite-human voice now; “I’m sorry, Lino. Your grasp of geometry and algebra is insufficient. You’ll never figure that rug out.” Can it, Hal!

Space Station

This epic recreation of Deep Space Nine is so huge, I can practically fit inside!

Ok, so not quite, but it is approximately eight feet in diameter, and I am only a little over six feet tall, so it is bigger than I am. And if I curled up around the central core between the docking pylons, I could probably fit. Thus, the title is not entirely hyperbolic. But I could wax hyperbolic about the eponymous space station from the Star Trek series Deep Space Nine, built by Adrian Drake from over 75,000 pieces, including an absurd amount of dark bluish grey. It took over two years to build, and I can see why.

DS9_00

Read more about this massive Star Trek build.

Circling the wheel in space

If like me you’ve been following Tim Goddard’s Instagram feed, you’ll have seen him teasing a fleet of colourful microscale LEGO spaceships over the past few weeks. Well the big reveal is finally here: I give you the Perhelion Point space station and attendant spacecraft. Constructed as a series of scaled disks that rotate around a central core, it looks wonderful hanging atmospherically in orbit.

Perihelion Point

Up close you’ll find some neat building techniques, like the modified plates with pin holes, which are matched with turntable disks to form the station’s super-structure. Naturally, there are multiple landing ports and shuttles to liven things up too. Continue reading

This vast LEGO space diorama is filled with amazing details and animated features

Sprawling across multiple base plates, this staggering LEGO sci-fi display is the brainchild of builder Marco den Besten. Taking inspiration from the Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun video game franchise, it depicts a bustling military complex and its numerous support vehicles, mech suits and space fighters. The glistening yellow, white and grey colour scheme, borrowed from a Nexo Knight shield, gives it a crisp and clean futuristic feel.

GDI(Gryphon Deepspace Initiative)

See more details and animated features of this huge LEGO space diorama

That’s no moon – it’s a rebel space station

Don’t be misled by first impressions. This Rebel Alliance Space Station by Corry Lankford is an absolutely enormous LEGO creation — nearly two metres tall!

LEGO Star Wars Rebel Space Station

Corry has grabbed the “grubby realism” aesthetic of the Star Wars universe with both hands and stuffed his space station full of greebles and details, creating a genuine sense of a lived-in future. This shot of one of the decks showcases some of the texturing that’s gone into the model, whilst offering a glimpse of the detailed interior compartments…

LEGO Star Wars Rebel Space Station

Click to see more of this amazing Star Wars creation, including the accompanying spacecraft