“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.
Tag Archives: Space
Eight pieces is all you need to escape lunar orbit
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!
Ace space base that fits on your bookcase
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?
A fictional LEGO space capsule with an amazing interior
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!
The Charrus is SHIP full of delightful parts
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.
Sci-fi LEGO train sets a course for Creations for Charity
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.
The Adhara adheres to a Saturn V color scheme
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.
A little lunar liftoff
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.
SHIPtember comes around sooner every year... In, er, August?!
Now see here, ktorrek. We’ve seen your latest Seriously Huge Investment in Parts (SHIP), and we’re seriously impressed. Even more so to hear that it’s your 17th (!) such LEGO build; heck, we even featured one of the first ones some 11 years ago. But your calendar is a month out! SHIPtember – the annual build-a-spaceship-longer-than-100-studs challenge – doesn’t start for another week and a half yet. We were still mentally preparing ourselves for brick-built behemoth season! TBB Towers has been thrown into disarray by that clean colour-blocking and those awesome triple fins! Let’s file this one under SHIPtember: Early Access…
In all seriousness, we always look forward to SHIP season here at TBB – and ktorrek’s build is a great way to start. If you’re looking forward to it too, why not see what we’ve featured from previous editions of SHIPtember?
Learn how to build spaceships like a true master AFOL [Instructions]
There are some LEGO builders who, every time they present a new build to the world, have us scratching our heads wondering how on earth they’ve made those pieces fit together like that. For no one is that more true than Nick Trotta, whose spaceships feature frankly mind-bending ways of connecting things together. Have you ever wanted to see how he does it? Well, he’s just released instructions for one of his models, so you can do just that! This spaceship was featured here way back in 2018, and it still looks just as good now as it did then. You can build your own using the instructions over on his website!
And while you’re here – why not take a look through some of his other builds that have graced our Nick Trotta archives since the Resonance made its first appearance?
Alien juicer is sure to add something special to your morning routine
Everyone knows that fresh-squeezed juice is good for you, but I’m not sure if this LEGO appliance by James Zhan is a very smart choice. Who knows what kind of side effects you might endure by sampling a beverage extracted from an alien plant? Health benefits aside, there can be no doubt that this modern machine looks like it would fit right in beside a Kitchen Aid or a Cuisinart. The black motor at the back looks like it could turn any alien flora into a smoothie in no time.
Start your shift at this awesome alien refinery
Sometimes, the best LEGO builds are the most down-to-earth (or down-to-another planet). Check out this refinery by qian yj. Sure, it’s in outer space, but there’s a mundane familiarity in the way the alien workers are just doing their jobs. I love the cool, industrial grays and whites paired with subtle blue or red highlights. Anyone who’s ever worked the daily grind can relate, no matter what planet you’re from. I don’t know what the aliens are refining, exactly, but I hope they get their lunch break soon.