I’m continuing to expand my microscale space universe. Last time I checked in with a lunar launch diorama, as my home-brew theme shot into deep space from the moon. Now the Interplanetary Expedition Alliance, or I.E.A., has set up a large mining facility out in the asteroid belt.
The facility consists of a large space station as the hub, and two captured asteroids being mined for their mineral wealth.
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Sybrin Hendrikx is known primarily as a builder of incredible LEGO race cars, and his latest LEGO build is arguably still a hot ride but of a much less terrestrial variety. With this beautiful rendition of the stolen Police Cruiser from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch Sybrin has somehow captured the organic, almost fluid lines of the craft’s elegant yet powerful design, which seems to draw inspiration from sources as diverse as the classic Jaguar E-type roadster and tropical fish. Another thing that Sybrin is know for is the judicious use of custom decals in his creations, used here to great effect.
The Police Cruiser’s design is for me a brilliant highlight in the now classic original 2002 animated Disney film, which had a look and feel completely unlike anything from the studio then to-date. So far, the 2025 live-action Lilo and Stitch film looks to be a virtual shot-for-shot remake, meaning no additional screen time for this too-briefly depicted beauty. I guess I will just have to scratch that itch by admiring Sybrin’s “remake” instead.
Builder Jan Woźnica has a strong reputation in the world of LEGO space builds. Case in point, you may remember LEGO Ideas 21340 Tales of the Space Age, a set soon to retire from the slate of available sets on the LEGO site. While this isn’t as minimalist as those great pieces of art, this take on a Martian space elevator is stellar, featuring some forced perspective that’s out of this world!
Nick Trotta might not be the most prolific builder, but every one of his works is a masterpiece of color, geometry, and innovative use of LEGO elements. For style and technique, Nick sets the gold standard for LEGO spaceship design. Nick’s latest craft is the R-104 Metal Heart, a ship inspired by the classic R-Type shoot-em-up video games, characterized by the massive wave cannon and many fins for maneuverability. Clocking in at 4,021 pieces, the ship is one of Nick’s most elaborate builds to date.
The best LEGO ships take advantage of slopes and SNOT (short for “studs not on top”) parts to create shapes and angles that are plausible as aerospace engineering while keeping that “swooshable” fun form factor of a kid’s favorite toy. In Nick’s build, every seam enhances the ship’s smooth lines. Modules connect in ways that defy logic. To see how Nick pulled off this slick exterior, you really have to see the ship from the inside. Thankfully the builder provides a detailed video of the build process.
Click to see Nick’s build process on this amazing ship!
“Constructed around a massive particle cannon and also equipped with ion guns and anti-fighter turrets, these destroyers decisively end space fleet battles with overwhelming force.” Victor K‘s description of his Conviction Crusader lets us know how menacing the ship is, but the description stops short of describing how cool the ship looks. There’s no “up” anywhere, with plates and bricks being stacked in all directions. The bulky, angular engines face one way, while the main lines of the hull are perpendicular. The result is a craft that looks right at home in space, where “up” and “down” are mere suggestions.
Much as the Apollo missions took us to the moon in the 1960’s with enough technology to easily fit on today’s smartphone, Joel Short brings us back from the landing in 8 simple LEGO pieces. Utilizing the sprue of a pair of 1×1 round plates as the capsule, we see this little spacecraft propelled through a pair of LEGO Space CMF bases toward a 1×1 plate star. Let’s hope they’ve got enough fuel in that flame piece to get them back home!
Being left behind on Mars and having to science your way out of certain death might sound like a terrifying fate, but I’ve always found The Martian a very cozy slice of science fiction. Nuno Taborda‘s LEGO space base isn’t based on that film, but it brings the same cozy vibes that has me daydreaming of tooting around an inhospitable planet in my little rover like Matt Damon. Nuno’s living module looks great with its round corners, orange detailing, and tasteful array of sensors and solar panels. Wouldn’t mind settling down in a base like that. But where am I supposed to grow the potatoes?
Whenever we get the chance to feature Lech Kulina we get a clinic on fantastic LEGO building techniques. Lech has built amazing model of a fictional near-future space capsule, named for Sagittarius the centaur, that could transport astronauts around the inner solar system. With a build this detailed, you might have expected Lech to make good use of stickers, but he’s elected to use official LEGO bricks for everything. That means that all the red and black outlines around the hatch, viewports, and “4’s” are made from panels and brackets.
Click here to learn the secrets inside this space capsule!
During SHIPtember, when LEGO Space builders race to complete a ship at least 100 studs long within a month, the biggest challenge is finding the time and parts to get it done. But almost as hard is finding a unique hook to make your SHIP stand out. Andre Odyssey‘s OSV Charrus is a slick cargo ship with very few studs that draws on an eclectic range of parts. The ship’s deck is made from road plates, alongside race car spoilers and City ship parts. For cargo, Andre uses Mario mushrooms, lavender barrels from the Friends line, a brilliantly employed Vidyo box full, and a brick-built sand green container. The new “jumbo macaroni” tubes make excellent manipulator arms at this scale. The result is a ship that is both an impressive resupply vessel and a fun celebration of the mix-and-match potential of LEGO themes.
Some people imagine a future where everyone has their own flying car. I’d much rather live in a world where everyone has access to reliable and affordable flying public transportation! Like a train pulled by LEGO builder Daniel Barwegen‘s Space Train engine. I love how Daniel blends sci-fi repulsors with the look of a modern electric commuter train. The color blocking is sharp, using triangular tiles to create diagonal stripes. A piston rod amongst the thrusters is a fun nod to tradition.
While Daniel’s train deserves celebrating for craft alone, it’s also on its way to the Creations for Charity shop. From October 15 through November 30th, donated models can be purchased with all proceeds going towards providing LEGO bricks to hospitals, shelters, and schools in underserved areas. It’s a great way for fans and collectors to give back and inspire a new generation of builders and creators.
Every SHIPtember, so many LEGO builders make a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts to turn out some truly spectacular spaceship-ery. And the Adhara by Tim Zarki is such a sterling representation of what these builds can bring. Clad in a grayscale color scheme, this SHIP is designed for long-range flights running on dual antimatter reactors. And clocking in at 118 studs in length, it features a number of wonderful techniques. I’m particularly fond of Tim’s use of the open Technic pin hole, adding important texture to dark gray panels throughout the creation.
For the past few years, I haven’t had as much time to build as I once did. That’s a tale that’s no doubt familiar to many of our readers with careers and families. That also means that when I do find time to build, I’m working through the backlog of ideas that have been piling up in my brain. And so lately I’ve found myself returning over and over to microscale space, because my brain has a logjam of sci-fi scenes I want to translate to bricks before moving on to pirates or castle or any of the other myriad themes I enjoy.
Set in the same universe as my previous large spaceships Vanguard and Discovery, this simple diorama depicts a launch facility on the moon with an attached habitat. I built the rocket first as a standalone model, but I wanted a better way to display it, and what better way to display a rocket than with a huge burst of engine exhaust? And of course, any facility on the moon worth its salt needs a habitat.
