Tag Archives: Space

From giant space carriers to starfighters, moon bases to moon buggies, whether you love LEGO models inspired by real-world space programs or science-fiction, you’re in the right place.

What’s black and white and rad all over?

Sometimes a single piece can cause the imagination to snowball. LEGO designer Robert Heim wanted to build something with the trans-purple canopy that debuted in the Pop-Up Party Bus from The Lego Movie 2. But all he knew for sure was he wanted to make a space rover with it. That led him to design a semi-truck configuration. And the trailer had to haul something, right? Which meant he had to build a rocket…and thus, the “ORCA” rover was complete.

Flatbed trailers can understandably sometimes be a little visually uninteresting, but Robert’s combated this by including some great detail on the undercarriage, including ray guns acting as suspension on each wheel. But let’s not overlook the cargo. The angled thrusters nestled between hot air balloon shells make the rocket a stand-out build all on its own. The fact that it can be hauled into launch position by such a cool-looking rover is icing on the cake.

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This spaceship is cool as shaved ice

Sometimes the motivation to build a SHIP (Seriously Huge Investment in Parts) comes from a really cool part, like a Minifig boat, or a tooth-shaped shield. Other times, the inspiration comes from a pile of bright-colored parts. This ice-cream wrapper-looking SHIP by Don Wilson uses a whole bunch of azure and yellow parts that make it really stand out against the inky blackness of space. Like any decent SHIP, there is no shortage of greebly details along the sides of the main body, and the asymmetrical disk thingy (I’m not at all sure as to its purpose) attached to the starboard side has some mind-blowing LEGO geometry at work. One of my favorite parts, though, is the dark gray plate at the front top, which stands out in a ship with very few visible studs.

When you have a lot of DUPLO and need to use it

I tend to shy away from integrating DUPLO into my LEGO collection as I perceive it as being cute, clunky, usually covered in toddler puke, and just not for the likes of serious builders like me. But then again in the hands of a talented builder such as Dwalin Forkbeard he can turn something cute and clunky into a masterful work of art. Take this currier vehicle, for instance. It uses a couple of clunky DUPLO parts and mixes “regular Legos” into it for a cohesive feel. The end result is like something out of The Fifth Element or Blade Runner. Check out the other times we’ve been totally smitten by this builder’s work. And if you’re inclined to build with DUPLO yourselves, then you’re in good company.

Intercity Express or modern day Magic School Bus?

Some parts LEGO produces seem to have a single purpose, the purpose they were designed for. However, most of the time these parts have studs or anti-studs so they could be used to build with. Vince Toulouse managed to incorporate the Life on Mars air pump The pump isn’t the only interesting piece Vince used. There is Bionicle seaweed and dragon tails used as engine exhaust pipes and the headlights are Clickits flowers. The round and curvy shapes of the dark green parts complement the shapes of the air pumps wonderfully. It’s nice to see the colour sand purple pop back up in a creation as it is a fairly rare colour. Somehow this model reminds me of the Magic School Bus which also always is a good sign.

Alien’s Nostromo recreated in the brick

1978’s Alien is a watershed moment in sci-fi cinema — tapping into the enthusiasm for all things sci-fi following the success of Star Wars, but using its interstellar setting to spin a very different, very adult, and very scary tale. LEGO builder Bousker perfectly recreates the film’s opening sequence with this depiction of the eerily quiet interior compartments of the starship Nostromo. Ron Cobb‘s original production design for the ship’s interiors have become as iconic as Giger’s famous design for the film’s beastie. The Nostromo has an industrial functionality and a cold but lived-in look, coupled with a whiff of the 70s with those curves and stark white walls. Bousker has captured the feel of both design and sequence perfectly — I particularly love the curved couches, the ladder between decks, and the scattered equipment awaiting the rousing of the crew from their cryosleep. Classy touch to add the cinematic black strips to the image too.

A ship of rafts among the raft of SHIPs.

The annual LEGO fan celebration of SHIPtember has drawn to a close, and that means we get to revel in some really great, and huge, spaceships! My personal favorite this year is the B.O.A.T. by Julie vanderMeulen. This Blockade Out-runner Agricultural Transport is more than just 102-studs of streamlined goodness, it’s also a really clever way to make use of all those rubber rafts that pile up in your collection. Julie describes their use here as “24 individual bulk cargo pods…capable of delivering anything from apple pies to live zebras.” Also noteworthy is is the use of old Alpha Team: Mission Deep Freeze printed 12×3 wedges. It’s apt, as it’s also very cold…in space.

Spaceships come in all sizes, too. Check our our archive of awesome LEGO spaceships for even more out-of-this-world creativity.

Harvesting honey on Epsilon IV

What is the most valuable resource in the deep space? Fuel? Galaxy credits? How about honey? According to this cute vignette by Andreas Lenander, you won’t be able to harvest honey so far from Earth without a cube element from LEGO VIDIYO sets. Indeed, the piece looks awesome inside this hangar with its semi-transparent effect. I know the clutch power of LEGO bricks is great, but I’d better seal the edges with some spare stickers… just in case.

Cut to the head of the armada

For LEGO fans like myself, September is a very special month. Known as SHIPtember to us space nerds, the month presents a challenge for builders to create a giant spaceship at least 100-studs long. Though many take this to mean length, some builders also play with the width and height of thier builds to meet the requirements. Enter builder Oscar Cederwall and his ship, the Claymore. This thin, lanky design features an interior mechanism for mirrored movement of the wings. According to Oscar, also know as o0ger, this allows fleets of these to be stowed on larger vessels. The single stud width of the main body was a design challenge that the builder solved with the two detailed black sections that run the length of the ship. These greebled portions make up a part of the tandem plasma cannons at each end of the body while also holding the structure of the ship together, with some help from the engine. This thin design gives the ship a small profile in firefights making it a formidable foe that cuts through the enemies much like its namesake.

This design is based on a concept by Theo Stylianides and it proved to be a delicate build that even broke apart during the build process. In addition to the black stripes on the side, the wing folding mechanism is held in a Technic structure that also holds the top and bottom together.

This is hands down one of my favorite months, especially as a participant. Seeing SHIPs like Oscar’s always excites and inspires me. The massive vessels that builders pump out during this month are a wonder to behold. Especially when they render it into a space scene and really immerse our imagination.

A starfish among the stars

LEGO builder Cagerrin wasn’t planning on participating in SHIPtember, but a late-night bolt of inspiration couldn’t be ignored. And so the Aposemate Sidputante of the Nth Coterie was born.

After a year spent mostly designing seafaring vessels, it’s no wonder that Cagerrin’s inspiration for this interstellar digital build is rooted in the ocean. While there’s no doubt that this behemoth is a product of a technologically advanced intelligence, there are plenty of details that give it an almost organic quality. I particularly like the way the alternating pattern of bars and magic wands create realistic spines on the sides of each arm.

The loneliness of the long-distance rover

Simple, striking, and evocative — Jan Woznica‘s tiny LEGO space scene is a genuine thing of beauty. I love everything about this, from the “studs as tracks” left in the cute rollerskate rover’s wake, to the twin crescent moons hanging above. But my favourite part has to be the wonderful retro colourways in that stylised sunset — it’s like something from a poster for a 70s sci-fi movie.

Two-tone spaceship is one nice model

If you only take a look at one big grey LEGO spaceship today then it should be this one — put together by F@bz. Big grey spaceships are often… (how can I put this politely?) …maybe a little dull? But this one is a cracker, primarily down to those large patterned areas on the spaceship’s front section. They’re built using 1×4 shooter parts, whose split colours and diagonal details make for some interesting shapes amidst the “alien language meets corrupted bitmap” feel of the futuristic decoration.

Whilst the camo-style patterns up front might capture the initial attention, there’s further good use of shooter parts around the craft’s bridge area. It’s Technic shooters this time, providing a nice bit of texture along the ship’s sides to complement all that lovely greebling up top…

That is one smooth SHIP you have there sir

September is quickly coming to an end, and you know what that means… pumpkin spice (the spice must flow). But it also means an end to one of the most challenging and rewarding LEGO monthly build contests. That epic challenge known to many as SHIPtember. SHIP in this case stands for seriously huge investment in parts, as demonstrated by this tall boy by Andreas Lenander. One of the hallmarks of a great ship is its greebles, those seemingly random bits and bobs. Andreas uses them sparingly to spice up the large top section.

There are lots of subtle curves throughout the build like the small repeated section on the lower sides, and the long smoothed out front section. I also like the tangle of black pipes leading to the main thruster, but I think my favorite part is the large eye-like orange ring on the side. Another nice part usage is the bit of straight roller coaster track used to attach an assortment of sensors.