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.

Thanksgiving and NoVVember- two great times for leftovers!

Wami Delthorne: better late than never! Wami’s most recent creation is not the only time-displaced Vic Viper variant we’ve seen since November ended, but its striking color scheme is sure to leave an imprint. The red color striping inset from the edge of the wings is a slick touch achieved with old style finger hinges that allow for more cleaner angles than the current plates with bars+clips. The open studs on the old hinges also allow for more offsets, allowing the colors to tightly wrap around the wings.

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Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’. Keep them doggies rollin’.

Classic Space the Next Generation returns in the AT-TCC – All Terrain Troop and Cargo Crawler by Boba-1980. The color and shapes of this fan theme harken back to the days of Mars Mission, but the with all the upgrades you expect from a sequel. I really enjoy the utility of this vehicle – the tires and treads should take you just about anywhere you need to go. There’s room for six passengers, and there’s plenty of cargo space in the two removable pods. My favorite feature, though, is the clever nose design made from two 6×10 windscreens.

Even if the orange and black of CS.NextGen isn’t for you, there’s a chance you’d be interested in the blue and yellow of Neo-Classic Space. There’s room for everyone out in the vastness of the universe, after all.

What’s cooler than being cool? Ice cold!

Dutch LEGO builder Koen Zwanenburg takes us back to 2002 (well, 1993, really) with this ice cool Mini Ice Planet 2002 diorama. All the great sets from the pivotal early nineties theme is represented here. We have the Blizzard Baron Ice-Sat V, the Deep Freeze Defender and finally Ice Station Odyssey. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any cooler, the whole shebang is built into a cohesive diorama reminiscant of the theme’s box art. It’s cooler than being cool and ice cold indeed! Here’s all the other times we were smitten by all things Ice Planet 2002.

This tiny spaceship has your back(pack)

The use of minifigure accessories in spaceship builds is nothing new, but LEGO designer Chris Perron takes it to a new meta level by building a snazzy micro-fighter that uses retro Blacktron 2 jetpacks as key elements. The nice part usage doesn’t stop there, though. Check out the droid leg as a tail fin, and the white ingot and classic solar panel in the nose.

If you like this little guy, be sure to check out Chris’ other spotlighted builds. My personal favorite is the giant Aquanauts Shark. What’s yours?

Negative space is still space.

I love it when builders take their creations in unique directions. That’s exactly what Théo has done with The Chord. The wings and twin forks of this craft are built from negative space and a very unusual LEGO element- string. Light grey and lime elements combine with the transparent neon-yellow canopy in perfect harmony. The result is music to my ears and a very different take on the whole Vic Viper concept. Who knew that was even possible in this day and age?

To see even more interesting variations on the Vic Viper theme, check out some other featured creations!

The Photon Chaser pays tribute to LEGO legends

You may have heard us throw around the term Vic Viper before. For those not in the know, the name was taken from a ship in the Gradius video game series and it describes a spacecraft that has two forward-sweeping wings that widen toward the rear, a centralized cockpit, and a central fin. The LEGO building trend was pioneered by adult builder Nate Neilson who had tragically passed away in 2010. A full ten years later many prominent builders still honor Nate’s tradition by building Vic Vipers usually in November…or NoVVember. Blake Foster is no stranger to our archives but surprisingly this is his first Vic Viper. It’s called the Photon Chaser High-Performance Tactical Viper…or PCHPTV. OK, I made up the acronym, and admittedly Photon Chaser is far better. While this may be Blake’s first rodeo with a Vic Viper he’s brought his usual A-game and stellar build techniques.

Care to stay awhile? Check out our extensive Vic Viper archives from a slew of some of the world’s most talented builders.

Going for the gold

Sometimes you see a LEGO model that uses an odd piece, and you can immediately tell–no matter how well it is integrated–that the model was designed specifically to showcase that piece. And at first, I thought that was the case with this striking gold and trans-blue Vic Viper from LEGO set designer Chris Perron. I glanced at it and thought, of course, it’s built around the use of those giant trans-blue Aquazone doors from 1995! But then I saw the Insectoid wings on the front and had to reconsider. Or wait, it’s absolutely covered in gold Nexo Knight tiles. Maybe those? I don’t know, I give up. What I do know, though, is that as zany as this ship is, somehow it works. The fact that there’s really only two colors visible ties it all together in a truly remarkable way.

Oh, and Chris says it was the gold tiles that kicked the whole thing off.

Catamaran Vic Viper

Vic Vipers always have had my interest. Mainly because I do not enjoy building space creations myself but I really admire those who can actually build within the theme. This LEGO Vic Viper by F@bz really is something else. It has to be the biggest creation with the least amount of parts I’ve ever seen. F@bz manages to use a part I would never ever consider to be of any use outside of the set it came in. They used the catamaran base for the ‘wings’ of the vehicle. The rest of the spaceship uses a quite demure color scheme that complements the brightness of the colors of the catamarans. Check out their gallery for more views of this amazing creation.

Exploring the galaxy for fresh vegetation

I’m loving everything about this other-worldly scene by captainsmog! From the satisfyingly shaped spaceship that is reminiscent of the Rocket Boy LEGO Collectable Minifigure, to the cleverly crafted plants. The creative parts usage is rad and makes me want to go dig through my oddball parts. I particularly love the claw elements used to make the wavy red and orange… thingy? Genius!

This builder is not a stranger to TBB. He built one of the first tensegrity builds we featured.

The first time LEGO returned to visorless spacepersons

When it comes to LEGO space nostalgia, old Classic Space gets the lion’s share of the love. Now, I’m not saying that Benny and his gang don’t deserve the hype, but I was not even born yet by the time the visor made its debut. And the visored spacepersons had some awesome themes, like Blacktron (I and II), Space Police (I, II, and III, even), and the ever-iconic Ice Planet 2002; occasionally these guys get some love from the community, but not like the Classic Spacers do. But then LEGO started some new visorless themes in the mid-late 1990s, like Insectoids and UFOs. When was the last time you saw a custom creation from one of those themes? Well, Koen Zwanenburg is here to supply that lack, with this superb re-imagining of one of my all-time favorite sets, 6915 Warp Wing Fighter, making the crossover we all imagined when seeing it in 1997: an X-wing fighter from Star Wars.

This ship has it where it counts, from the giant curved hull panels to the transparent neon-greenish yellow canopy and accessories. More tiles and curved slopes give it an updated look, but it is still immediately recognizable as the old ship I loved so much, ever since finding it under the tree one Christmas morning.

Love Koen’s work? So do we here at The Brothers Brick, so check out our archives.

Snow Piercer, but this time in space

You don’t normally think of “round shapes” as a highlight of a NoVVember Vic Viper, but Sheo, as usual, refuses to be bound by conventional building styles. The Blue Piercer is a twin-fork starship with enviable curves. My favorite detail is the thin Technic pulley tires nestled inside arch bricks. I also like the small detail of the half-circle tiles, adding another subtle bend to things. And those rear thrusters are pretty sweet, too.

If you like your spaceships (and other LEGO creations) with a heavy dollop of curved building, then be sure the check out the other creations of Sheo’s that we’ve spotlighted.

In space no one can hear you hiss

Do you know what’s scary? Velociraptors. While the Tyrannosaurus is all teeth and ignorant brawn, the Velociraptor is a smaller, nimble and cunning creature capable of working together to hunt down kids in a laboratory. At least that’s what Jurassic Park has led us to believe anyway. Bob DeQuatre takes the already scary raptor and puts it in a spacesuit; one with opposable claw finger technology. You may as well just kiss your tookus goodbye by this point. Not only are the kids toast but the director and camera crew won’t be around to make the slew of blockbuster sequels. It’s a bummer, really. But all kidding aside this is a really cool idea. I particularly like the expression of the raptor’s face under the protective space dome.