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.
Tag Archives: Spaceships
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!
I don’t mean to pry, but are you separated?
It’s fun when a bit of meta humor slips into a LEGO build. For those in the know, though, the Vic Veparator by Joey Klusnick provides more than just “a bit.” The twin orange forks of this Vic Viper style craft are oversized brick-built Brick Separators. (You can see a LEGO-issued one in use as the tail fin, if you’re not already aware of them.) The orange color is nicely offset by the yellow accents. I like the use of railings and brace elements here – the Technic bushings and macaroni brick echo the single-element shapes really well. But the best part? When Joey gets tired of this build, all the tools needed to disassemble it will be right at hand.
This isn’t the first great creation we’ve featured that use brick separators as a key element, and hopefully it won’t be the last. In the meantime, check our archives for more take-apart goodness!
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!
If you like this (and come on, who wouldn’t?) you’ll love everything else we’ve featured from Nick.
Gearing up for an imperial dogfight
There are a lot of great LEGO TIE fighters out there. So many, in fact, that Matt (Classic Brix) decided to do something a bit different and build one at a slightly reduced scale. And boy, does it pay off! It’s a super model with some of the parts choices giving it a very distinct style. The standout is the use of a gear wheel to give the window its signature octagonal frame. But take a closer look! This gear actually has studs with bars slotted into it, to allow the ball shape of the cockpit to be recreated. It’s a frankly genius solution!
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.
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!
There’s a whole fleet of great LEGO spaceships in our archives. Why not check them out?
You can fly high, even underground
Duncan Lindbo knows that any mode of transport is valid if your tunnel is wide enough. The T-22 Tunnel Viper races through the dark recesses in search of ore, lost miners, or just a good time. The brown railing of the cockpit calls back to LEGO’s Rock Raiders theme, but the constraction parts help give the ship some unique personality all its own.
Command and control your space
NPU, or Nice Parts Use, is the fan term for taking an unusual and seemingly single-use LEGO element and cleverly incorporating it into something else. It’s rare to see the NPU ethos applied to expensive electronic components, however, that’s exactly what TBB alumn Benjamin Stenlund has done with the 9V battery box controller on this Vic Viper, positioning it so the infrared emitter becomes a cool cockpit. Of course, don’t miss the carrot blasters on this greebled entry to the Novvember fan challenge, too.
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.
A bomb delight
LEGO spaceships come in a shapes and sizes, and yes, colors too. Red and white and lime green may be an unorthodox choice, but in this little bomber by Jonas Jensen looks mighty spiffy in the tri-tone scheme. There’s oodles of fantastic parts usages to ogle here, too, but the best might be the white 2×2 foam holder behind the lower wings.
A sizable selection of small spacecraft
It’s almost advent calendar season, which means LEGO fans the world over will soon be assembling some tiny spaceships from Star Wars and the MCU. But Tim Goddard has gotten a jump on things by crafting his own fleet of miniature spaceships. Despite their small size, there’s lots of cool shaping and detail to be found. From the minifigure videogame controller used as wings to the green and red thrusters on an Octan ship, Tim has crafted a fleet of microscale marvels.
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?