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.

The magnetic charm of red and black

My first foray into LEGO space began with M-Tron way back in the late 80’s, so the theme has always held a special place in my heart. Builder Okay Yaramanoglu brings back the nostalgia in a big way with his MagnePulse Xcelerator. With far more curves than the original sets, this starship/rover duo showcases some excellent parts usage. I love the use of X-Pods for the two cockpits, the thrusters made from those space-y rover wheels, and the pair of canoes on the front of the wings. But the best design bit is one that seamlessly blends into the ship: the three-piece M-Tron logo made from a round plate, a wedge plate, and a white rubber band. Simply beautiful!

MagnePulse Xcelerator

The War Owl brings death from above! And sometimes chewed-up rats.

A LEGO builder who goes by the dubious name of The One and Only Mr. R has built the War Owl and now we’re not sure if it’s safe to go out at night. From the builder; “Throughout the galaxy, the War Owl is feared for its tendency to shoot first and establish communication channels later. The ship is the property of the pirate Captain Abelard Otus, and its flight and attack patterns are aided by its onboard navigation robot.” In other words, it doesn’t give a hoot about your safety and well-being. He goes on to say that this is the largest model he’s ever built, at about 66 studs wide and 46 studs long, and probably a few thousand pieces. Well, Mr. R, we look forward to more wild and wonderful builds by you. In the meantime, watch the skies and never go out after 7 pm. That’s when the crazies come out!

The War Owl

A dominating domino for intense introspection

As the most prominent LEGO landscaper of alien terrain, Bart De Dobbelaer once again transports us off-world to a peaceful (and piece-full) forest scene dominated by a large, cryptic monolith. The color contrast on the structure is striking, with gaps of textured azure breaking through cracks in the large standing stone. A solitary figure sits at the base of one of the rings cut from the slab. This woman in red surveys the garden of leafy trees and large yellow blooms, no doubt reflecting on the beauty of it all. As is typical for Bart, the part usage here is top notch. I particularly like the X-Pod lids used at the base of the large flowers. Such a great throwback part!

Garden of contemplation

A cool new ship for an old, icy theme

Back in the mid-90s, LEGO gave its Space theme a cool refresh with Ice Planet 2002. Now, EMazingbrix invites us back to the frozen planet of Krysto with this Frostbite Fighter. Full of clever curves and amazing angles, this sleek craft is a big upgrade to Commander Cold’s usual fleet of vehicles. The Ice Planet theme’s color scheme has been strictly adhered to, but there are plenty of parts and technique being used that weren’t available in the original line. The most incredible upgrade, from the explorer’s perspective, has got to be the fully sealed cockpit. That was a real rarity in the line back in the 90s. But I bet that inside of this pilot compartment is warm and toasty.

Frostbite Fighter - Ice Planet 2002

LEGO 90 Years of Play 40580: Blacktron Cruiser – Classic Space is back in Blacktron [Review]

To celebrate its 90th anniversary, LEGO released some updated versions of classic sets, such as 1978’s Galaxy Explorer. And it looks like the celebration is going to continue into year 91, because for a limited time beginning January 1, 2023, LEGO is offering another classic space update as a gift with qualifying purchases. This time it’s the 6894 Invader set from 1987 that’s getting an update (and a name change), in the form of 40580 Blacktron Cruiser. This 356-piece set will be available free with purchases of about US $190 | CAN $190 | UK £170 or more. Does this set capture the spirit of the original? Is it a fitting companion piece to the 10497 Galaxy Explorer? Let’s blast off and find out.

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full, hands-on review

Not everything in space is as it seems

The following is an extract from Beginner’s Guide to Space Adventures, by Lunar & Extraterrerestrial Geography – Outerspace (L.E.G.O.) expert Bart de Dobbelaer.*

“When exploring space, it is important to remember that not everything is as it seems. On strange worlds, what you might think are tasty space mushrooms could be anything from energy crystals to the appendages of a colossal planet-dwelling man-eater. It is analogous, if you will, to using LEGO pieces in interesting ways. That part you thought was a space egg? It’s actually the eyeball of a space monster. Remember what we learned in the chapter on basic planetary survival: just because you can’t see the colossal planet-dwelling man-eater, does not mean it cannot see you! The chances that they have more eyes than you are extremely high. And for goodness’ sake, if you suspect it is something that could eat you, don’t try and take it home. The best tool in a space explorer’s survival kit is a brick separator, but the second best tool is caution. Always keep an eye out!”

Beginner's Guide to Space Adventuring - Not everything is as it seems

*Not a real book. Please don’t attempt to buy one from Bart. But do check out his other work.

OK, Jack – let’s get this baby off the ground

It was only a matter of time before the space baby from Series 24 of the Collectible Minifigure line cropped up in a LEGO creation. Albert Lee is first through the gate with this cute lunar outpost. It’s a classic example of classic space, but the slightly odd scale brings its own challenges for parts choice. What parts might have passed for tiny greebled details before now have to be used more judiciously. Ditto for the signature yellow canopies. The ones used here may have been too small for some minifigure scale ships, even the control tower viewport. But with the babies, they suddenly become huge windows into space. Fascinating! I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of these babies, and it’s certainly not the first time seeing their civilian counterparts either. Perhaps we should make baby-scale its own thing!

Lunar Baby Outpost

A sure hit of a spaceship

It’s so hard to pick a favourite LEGO spaceship designer, since there are so many awesome ones out there. If I had to though, you can be damn sure Nick Trotta would be on the shortlist. His spacecraft simply never miss. Appropriately, this latest ship’s namesake – Astraea – is the Greek Goddess of precision, among other things. There’s so much to love about this ship I don’t know where to start! Nick’s trademark mastery of angles is on display in the boosters, wings and scaffolding around the cockpit. Speaking of which, this is a unique design featuring opposed windscreens, whose smooth round lines are a great focal point among all the sharp angles elsewhere. And the colours! Sometimes less is more with colour, but the judicious use of it here makes this model detailed without being cluttered – a fine balance. And a fine creation it is too!

Astraea

If you like this (and come on, who wouldn’t?) you’ll love everything else we’ve featured from Nick.

It’s all about the angles

When we last featured builder David Roberts, we spotlighted their angular racer – a small, compact build that feels like the seed part used in this new Parallelogram Flying Car. There are several cool building choices to call out here -the unusual (yet successful) decision to split the number four across the angled side panels, the great angles that nestle into that large yellow canopy, and the overall color scheme that feels like a tribute to Classic space, rather than being a part of that world.

Parallelogram Flying Car

From the rear, you can see a great chunky engine, and some hose work that adds a nice touch of mechanical grit to the otherwise sleek and polished  vehicle. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take this one out for a spin!

Parallelogram Flying Car

There’s a whole fleet of great LEGO spaceships in our archives. Why not check them out?

The big Beluga of our dreams

I’m certain no one asked for this big assault VTOL called Beluga. But clearly LEGO builder ReD M is a master at bringing us what we’d love to see but never knew we wanted. Whether it be the shaping, intricate details, or striking color scheme, this hefty gunship is very suddenly the object of so many LEGO fans’ desires. It’s like something out of all the best sci-fi movies ever made. With its parameters established long ago by a legendary and influential builder who has passed some twelve years ago, there is a certain look to the Vic Viper. Click the link to check out how this big Beluga fits into it. And as tradition goes, these Vic Vipers are almost always exclusively built in NoVVember. What a great way to honor a fine tradition. We’ll surely be on the lookout for whatever else ReD M builds.

Beluga - Viper Class Assault VTOL

Yellowfin: does what it says on the tin

LEGO spaceships sometimes get named after animals. Perhaps a creature insired the ship in question, or maybe it’s just a name like mantis that just sounds cool. Chris Perron has taken the name of a yellowfin tuna and used it in quite a literal sense with this colourful craft. It certainly bears more than a passing resemblance to a fish. The colour gradient on the fins stands out, but I love how the colour blocking goes even further to get the fish appearance across. If you squint, the trans-red cockpit looks like the gaping mouth of a fish, with the white its lower jaw. Of course the big dishes on the side look like eyes. I might be reading too much into this – perhaps Chris just wanted to make ship with yellow fins. It can’t be a coincidence though can it?

Yellowfin_Front1_2400_100

Back when the future wasn’t quite so futuristic.

LEGO builder Isaac Wilder is known for retro automotive creations. But this time Isaac is bringing us a vision of the future – or, at least, the way the future was envisioned back when the cars he normally builds were new. Does that all make sense? Isaac’s hover car is all old-school curves up top, while the bottom is a gaggle of technological greebles keeping it aloft. And it’s getting gassed up by what looks like the love child of a Star Wars droid and a Radiator Springs gas pump. The full effect is a scene from a future we all remember, but haven’t quite reached, yet.

Refueling