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.

Neo-Classic Space is so old-hat

Classic Space has had a well-established revival among AFOLs in the form of Neo-Classic Space. Recently though, another vintage LEGO space theme has been having its own revival – Ice Planet 2002. Dale Harris has come up with an excellent idea for the story behind this resurrection! Rather than referring to it as Ice Planet 2022 (too obvious), he has coined the term Ice Planet Badlands. It’s described as a ‘post-apocalyptic Ice Planet’, which sounds frankly awesome. This Surefoot TR3 rover is part of this proposed future, with the classic blue, white and neon orange colours paired with some more utilitarian rusty metal. Perhaps the intrepid minifigure explorers got stranded on the Ice Planet, and have had to use their increasingly out-dated vehicles to try and find a way home. I cannot wait to see more!

Surefoot TR3 rover

Greenhouse symbiosis on Exobudria 9

Once again famed LEGO builder Bart De Dobbelaer is the Supreme leader when it comes to fleshing out unsettling alien worlds. In his own words he tells us; “With little to no natural light keeping greenhouses on Exobudria 9 seemed impossible. But thanks to a clever symbiosis with the indigenous insects, the light and warmth of their hives proved to be exactly what the plants needed.” True to his style, he provides just enough clues to entice you in, like the opening scene of a great sci-fi movie, then leaves you wanting to know more. Like what exactly are those plants for? What’s with all those greebly bits? And why is space so damned creepy? Check out our Bart De Dobbelaer archives that will likely answer none of these questions but is enticing as heck anyway.

Greenhouse Symbiosis

This arrowhead-shaped spaceship gets to the point quickly

Modeled after the Trilobate arrowhead, builder Rubblemaker provides a speedy LEGO starfighter made for quick trips across the cosmos. It’s not everyday that you see Bionicle parts interspersed on a space creation, but the builder navigates it well, using the Rahkshi legs to great effect around the cockpit. And the shaping of the rear engine with toothed wheels and gears feels right at home here. But overall, while I understand the ancient inspiration for this build, my mind is instead taken back to 1998 and the Aquazone faction Stingrays. With a high concentration of dark gray, highlights in red, and wing curves reminiscent of a squid’s body, I feel like this fighter would be at home in the stars or the sea.

The Trilobate

A cup of space coffee, to go

It is always a treat to find a LEGO model that uses a non-traditional “element” such as this spaceship by Robert Heim that features a LEGO brand coffee cup in the shape of the Minifig-sized cup (the model includes 4 of those as well). The landing gear is also quite an interesting look, propping the ship up on a base built around the handle. LEGO products are made to such precise standards that a curved elements fits the shape of the handle perfectly.

Mug Ship

Hide your cows and protect your nether bits, here comes UFOSIX!

If you’re seeing some weirdness over the horizon that might be Fedde Barendrecht. Or rather his LEGO creation called UFOSIX, not Fedde. Although, while I’ve never met him in person, judging from the stuff he builds, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he is a tad weird. There’s nothing wrong with that, really. He seems to be the type of guy I’d love to have a beer with. Or a vacuum bag full of cat hair; whatever weirdness he might be into. Anyway, this snazzy unidentified far-fetched object has an uncanny Alien Conquest feel which, like the Kindle Fire and the end of Charlie Sheen’s career, takes us back to 2011.

UFOSIX

What’s in a spaceship?

If space travel ever takes off in the way that science fiction imagines, zipping from one corner of the galaxy to the other in anything less than many lifetimes, the technology to power it will surely look quite alien to us. That’s why I love this LEGO spaceship by Tim Goddard, because it’s filled with things that I have no idea about, yet they look undeniably cool. Inspired by the illustrations of thisnorthernboy, this unique spaceship’s color is almost as striking as its shape, with the medium blue and white setting the tone, and the pops of red providing a lot of visual interest to the details.

Weird field

From Ice Planet 2002 to the ice planet of Hoth

I’m absolutely loving the mashup of Star Wars and LEGO themes to fulfill one of the challenges in this year’s VignWeek by RebelLUG. And this scene by Jens Ådne J. Rydland utilizing a duo of 90’s space factions to highlight a pivotal scene from the Battle of Hoth. The pairing of Blacktron I and the Empire feels fitting, and justifies the outstanding insignia on the side of the walker. The AT-AT’s head is well made, looking like an all-black version of some Neo-Classic Space designs. But those legs, harkening back to 6876: Alienator, are the perfect retro touch! The tiny Ice Planet snowspeeder is adorable, and I hope Commander Cold is able to successfully stall the Imperials long enough for the Futuron transports to escape.

Taking down the Blacktron walker

Sunny Spaceship Treks the Cosmic Currents

Space builder David Roberts treats us to another bright pop of LEGO color with his newest starship, the Sun Fish. Hot on the heels of the NEZ racer, David’s been enjoying the ROY side of the spectrum lately. Please forgive the fast food joke, but I’m loving it! Alternating between red and yellow, the Sun Fish sports a beautiful fin, complete with darling markings in light blue. This mohawk of panels contrasts well with the mechanical tubes and thrusters attached at the sides, almost emphasizing the more technical elements and providing a space-ier vibe. My favorite part, though, has got to be the compact cabin. Hanging directly off the front of the ship, there’s no nose separating our pilot from the galactic expanse. They’ve got a unobstructed view of everything back to the Big Bang.

Sun Fish

A spaceship in the mech-ing

Imagining what kind of cool new ships can be added to the classic LEGO Space theme is always fun. This spaceship from Shiu makes for an awesome addition to those imaginings! The shaping of the ship has a lot of fun lines and angles to catch the eye. There’s some excellent greebling going on throughout, including the evergreen minifig roller skate. Personally, I appreciate the texture the jet engine insert provides to the laser cannons. Another fine detail is the pilot’s harness. Usually builds don’t have the room for something like that. Now, something you might be wondering is why so much bulk in the wings? There could no doubt be a variety of answers to that question, but for this build the answer is transformational!

LL-505 Galaxy Fighter

The star-fighter converts into a mech-fighter! The wings split into the arms and legs of a stylish, and spacefaring, mech. The nose of the ship swings down to allow for forward clearance, something it can do after the beast of a blaster is in the mech’s grip. Usually a space explorer has to leave their ship to adventure planet-side, but not with this ship! The whole thing can help scout out new locations and set up base camps. Truly an all-in-one spaceship.

LL-505 Galaxy Fighter

Not just any Mega Man knockoff...

Folks, we here at TBB have got to admit that LEGO builder Sandro Quattrini is a character-creating machine. He churns out constructed personas so fast that it’s hard to keep up! The latest one is this spaceman-looking chum with a blaster for an arm (no relation to a certain Capcom hero). The contrasts at work here are wonderful. Smooth, sleek white casing with the occasional exposure of rough, mechanical interior channels both Eve and Wall-E at the same time. And the posable hinges developed here are absolute magic! Amid all that, my favorite part has got to be Robo-Kid’s robo-kicks. I mean, it’s not every day you see such splendid use of the minifig Scout Trooper helmet!

Robo-Kid Alt Shot

The spaceship that (hopefully) comes with fries

Maybe it’s the color scheme or its simplistic blocky shape but this LEGO spaceship built by David Roberts reminds me of a delicious carton of McDonald’s fries. Other commenters on his Flickr stream state that they are reminded of Buck Rogers while others claim this is reminisant of a Viper from Battlestar Galactica. What does this remind you of? No matter what the answer is, we can all agree that this spaceship looks pretty tasty.

NEZ Racer

The ship is the knife and outer space is the butter

I always knew LEGO could be sharp (underfoot), but this ship from Tim Goddard really shows off how sharp! There’s not a curve to be seen, outside of the canopy, on this interceptor, giving it the intended sharp-edged appearance. The ship looks like to could cut through anything as it speeds along on its mission. It possesses the style choices of the classic LEGO Space theme–always a welcome sight! Even the canopy is in the color scheme of the theme, but that’s not where it comes from… The canopy is the only curve in the build, and it comes from that most excellent Lightyear 76832 XL-15 Spaceship set. It’s the perfect canopy for this build, lending itself well to that tapering wedge of the nose. I also really appreciate the sloping where the wings join the body. The use of wedge slopes with hinges isn’t a new technique, but it’s one that works really well for filling and adding definition.

TheMpemba Effect

Taking a look beneath the ship reveals the full arrowhead-like shape of the interceptor. It also reveals some cool detailing, like the laser cannons mounted under the wings, done with brackets, round plates, and lightsaber hilts. However, my favorite detail on the underside are those brackets running down the midsection of the nose. They create a neat effect I just can’t get over, especially when paired with the other textures around them. Not to mention, these no doubt add some dynamism and choice when it comes to a display stand. They offer plenty of connection points for an angled display scene.

The Mpemba Effect