Just as on the ocean today, in the far future, surely the most common sort of large spaceship will be the container ship. This magnificent LEGO vessel by Perry β is a take on what that could look like. Just as now, it seems that intermodal containers are the go-to box for sending your goods across the galaxy, and in my opinion, they’re really the star of this show, even though they’re just simple 1×2-stud boxes in a multitude of colors. The ship itself is fantastic too, with a nice mix of smooth surfaces and intricate details.
Tag Archives: Space
This bowed ship cuts through space like an arrow
Another SHIPtember LEGO spaceship blasts its way through space! The bows from the Horizon game series serves as -soccerkid6‘s inspiration for this piercing craft. It comes in at 104 studs in length (or should we say height?) and weighs just over 3 pounds—the weight of such fine design! It’s nearly impossible to miss the bow influence in the design with the bend and curving bits at the top and bottom. Where an arrow could nock on a bow rests the central engine and the pointing bridge, giving a clue that it’s a microscale ship. I like the color choices of the build, with that yellow drawing you in to the middle with the teal highlights to balance it all out. The details of the ship stand out and work well together, allowing us to fully appreciate the look and feel of the clever craft.
A silky frigate for those deep space patrols
Builder Red Spacecat serves up a silky smooth LEGO frigate for SHIPtember. Coming in at a length of 120 studs, this ship possesses the curves of a luxury liner and the firepower of a deep space frigate. The ship retains lovely definition for each section, despite having mostly white pieces. This allows the colors of the details to really pop and stand out, especially the black details against the stark white body. I particularly love the engine wings with their colorful banding and slick design. And check out that tower at the ship’s rear center–it has nice shaping and parts usage. Overall, I’d say this frigate wins both space battles and battles of style. It’s a great display piece and awesome design for a spaceship, no doubt in my mind.
A cool spaceship worthy of a cool name
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are turning orange, coffee mugs are filling up with pumpkin-spiced lattes, and enormous LEGO spaceships are cropping up all over the internet. That’s right, it’s SHIPtember! Scott Wilhelm‘s entry has us gobsmacked. It’s christened the Ockham’s Razor, which in itself is a wicked name. But this 140-stud wide behemoth looks truly alien. There aren’t any obvious signs of scale, so this could be an extraterrestrial hoverboard, but one gets the impression it’s a sprawling mega fortress shooting across the stars.
To get a perspective on its real-life scale, just look at this shot of the rear. Two halves of a Star Wars planet are used for detailing, and these are not small parts – but they look tiny here! The greebling work combined with the geometrical shapes and the colour scheme all combine to make a seriously impressive spaceship.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.