Review: 31152 Space Astronaut
Posted by benbacardi,
I'm a big fan of all things space and space-related, from LEGO Classic Space to the real thing, so I was happy to see new Space subtheme branding appearing across the upcoming 2024 sets. It's unusual for a consistent design to cross many themes, but LEGO have added a silver banner featuring a version of the Classic Space logo to the corner of space-themed sets in Creator, City, Classic, Technic, Friends, and even Duplo!
The one offering from the Creator 3-in-1 range is 31152 Space Astronaut, which can be built into either an astronaut, a space ship, or a space dog! I've taken a look at all three models below, and as usual, the 3-in-1 line does not disappoint.
Summary
31152 Space Astronaut, 647 pieces.
£44.99 / $54.99 / €49.99 | 7.0p/8.5c/7.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An excellent space-themed 3-in-1 set with great articulation in the astronaut's design, and perfect for display with the included stand.
- Excellent astronaut design with good articulation
- Display stands included
- Great little spaceship and dog alternative builds
- Astronaut itself is on the skinny side
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Astronaut
The primary model in the set is an astronaut wearing a full space suit, such as those used during EVAs in outer space. The figure has an impressive amount of articulation, with various different types of joints used for the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and even fingers! Although each hand only sports four digits rather than our usual five...
EVA suits are typically white to reflect the heat from the sun, and the visors are coated in gold to protect the astronauts from unfiltered sunlight while in the vacuum of space. This is faithfully reproduced here, with a large gold dome piece used for the visor. Unfortunately, the one in my set has a slight scratch on it, despite being packaged separately from the other parts.
The suit comes complete with a detachable backpack, reminiscent of NASA's MMU from the Shuttle era, with a pair of small tanks on the rear. Two articulated arms protrude around the astronaut's waist, with a screen/keypad on the end of one and a joystick on the other. The model is not quite so attractive from the rear, but is unlikely to be displayed this way.
Without the backpack attached, the torso is rather skinny, which is my largest complaint with the model. Space suits are notoriously bulky, and it is slightly odd to see such a lean version.
There's a small control panel on the front of the body, with two tubes connecting it to the rear. The waist is also articulated, with the astronaut's upper half able to rotate just above the hip joints. Besides the visor are two lights positioned near the top of the astronaut's head—again, pretty faithful to the real thing.
Strangely, the two tubes don't actually connect to anything, and the rear of the astronaut looks a little flat without the attached backpack.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the set was the reveal that this is not, in fact, an astronaut, but rather an astronaut mech! The upper part of the torso can flap down, followed by the visor, revealing space for a minifigure to sit, with a control panel inside.
Needless to say, there was only one figure worthy of piloting such a mech.
Detached, the backpack can be seen a bit more clearly. More lights are provided on either side at the top, and the red and blue accents match those dotted throughout the space suit. These are usually either colour bands to denote the astronaut's country of origin, or indicators to identify exactly which astronaut is wearing the suit at this particular time.
The two clips in the middle allow it to be easily attached and removed from the astronaut's back. A printed slope shows its control panel, and the joystick is cleverly constructed from two simple parts.
Finally, a stand is provided, so you can display the astronaut in a more dynamic position than simply standing up. It's a solid construction of black bricks and tiles, with no exposed studs.
The technic connector on top slides into an exposed beam at the base of the astronaut's toso, just behind its hips, and it holds the figure at a slight angle.
When displayed, the stand holds the astronaut at an angle that makes it look very realistic, as if they are currently in the middle of an EVA, floating in outer space. Usually, of course, astronauts stay firmly attached to the vehicle they are working on, but I think this model looks fantastic displayed this way. The legs and arms can be positioned in numerous ways, and the figure is held securely enough by the stand.
Spaceship
Both alternative models are much smaller than the astronaut. The first is a spaceship, which repurposes the gold visor for a bulbous cockpit as the focal point of the design. The ship is symmetrical, with two identical wings on either side of the cockpit built sideways that protrude out the front of the vehicle. I like the occasional blue highlights throughout the otherwise white and grey exterior.
The astronaut's knee joints are cleverly reused as engines, and there are various small studs and grills used for exhausts, vents, or other greebling.
The cockpit is hinged, and lifts to reveal a single seat behind a control panel. Benny is very much enjoying himself, despite the change in his usual colour palette!
Once again, a stand can be built to display the spaceship at a slight angle, looking like it is in flight. The stand is smaller than that for the astronaut, though constructed in a very similar way.
Space Dog
Finally, the most whimsical of the three models. The gold piece is once again a visor, but this time for a canine astronaut rather than human! The dog has a specially-designed EVA suit, with two air tanks strapped its his back, and a dedicated appendage to house its tail. I don't believe a self-contained spacesuit has ever been produced for a dog, and I hope more thought has gone into its design than that of poor Laika's flight.
Despite being made from so few parts, I love the dog's expression. The printed eye tiles were cleverly hidden within the astronaut's suit in the original build, and the use of the half circle tiles as ears looks fantastic.
The four legs are articulated at the hips, although their range of movement is limited, and the model is very unstable in almost all positions. The visor can be fully shut to enclose the dog's head.
There is just enough movement to allow the dog to sit down. Although, that would probably be tricky in microgravity...
A third stand design is included, smaller again than the other two and with more exposed studs, but very much in a similar vein. Once again, the dog is held at a slight angle, to look more dynamic as it floats in the vacuum of space.
Conclusion
31152 Space Astronaut is the second largest of the 2024 3-in-1 offerings, and very much one of the range's flagship models. All three builds are excellent, and suit each other very well—it would be great to be able to have all three on display!
The astronaut itself was fun to build, and looks excellent, particularly when held on its stand. I wish the body had a little more bulk to it, to better match the real thing, but this is less evident when the backpack is attached.
I did find a use for the rather poor skateboard alternative model from 31148 Retro Roller Skate, though!
The small spaceship is a great design, and very swooshable when not on its stand. The dog is an amusing build, although perhaps the weakest of the three.
I can highly recommend picking the set up when it is available in January for anybody who is remotely interested in space. My son particularly loves 3-in-1 sets, and I think he will struggle to choose which model to build first. It's rated 9+, but younger children would be more than capable with a little help here and there.
I'm looking forward to reviews of the other sets released under the Space banner!
31152 Space Astronaut will be available on LEGO.com from the 1st of January for £44.99 / $54.99 / €49.99.
165 likes
67 comments on this article
spacedog, Spacedog, SPACEDOG!
Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
The angled astronaut is almost certainly a direct reference to this photograph of Bruce McCandless.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/STS41B-35-1613_-_Bruce_McCandless_II_during_EVA_%28Retouched%29.jpg
I like it, but not $55 like it
Definitely one to add to my space themed shelf!
I'm sure it won't take someone long to create a bulkier version, perhaps using 2 sets, and upload the instructions to rebrickable!
The design is very nice; I like how it can function as a minifigure mech! The dark red and blue stripes are a great nod to earlier Creator 3 in 1 sets as well.
@Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
?? 10305
I love, love, love the Space Dog!
This is what LEGO is about.
@Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone."
Comments like this make me wish we had a thumbs down option.
As for the set, I agree the figure is a bit too slender but that can be remedied, I'm sure. Here is a good look at the real suit and pack for reference: https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/230314150437-04-nasa-spacesuit-history-eva.jpg?c=original&q=h_618,c_fill
As is, the helmet visor is a bit too big but once you bulk up the suit proportions a bit the visor becomes better scaled. Too bad it doesn't have NASA branding, even though I understand why it's absent here.
I'll probably grab this at some point, maybe when it goes on sale.
Edit: and now i realize @rljf311 posted the reference pic already!
Space for a minifigure, but no minifigure included? Why?
@CC said:
" @Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
?? 10305"
10305 wasn't a 'bone'. It was a five course meal at a high end restaurant and way out of my spending zone though I want it so much. Some castle set around $50 would be more akin to a 'bone'
@8BrickMario said:
"Space for a minifigure, but no minifigure included? Why?"
I realize it's not the point of your question but the forthcoming Space CMF contains a mini-figure version that will pair nicely with this set. Synergy!
“The technic connector on top slides into an exposed beam at the base of the astronaut's toso, just behind its hips, and it holds the figure at a slight angle.”
What a polite way to say he had a Technic part shoved up his — well — anyway, elsewhere ‘waist’ is written as ‘waste.’ Kinda keeps the same idea, now that I think about it.
@8BrickMario said:
"Space for a minifigure, but no minifigure included? Why?"
I assume it's more an easter egg, than a selling point. Also so far, Creator 3-in-1 sets that are primarily "pseudo"-scale models don't usually come with minifigs.
@Stoker_stu said:
" @CC said:
" @Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
?? 10305"
10305 wasn't a 'bone'. It was a five course meal at a high end restaurant and way out of my spending zone though I want it so much. Some castle set around $50 would be more akin to a 'bone' "
31120 exists and you can get it on sale sometimes. Plus, with Lion Knights Castle, there are a fair number of PAB options to add your own figures.
On topic Love the doggy
@Stoker_stu said:
" @CC said:
" @Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
?? 10305"
10305 wasn't a 'bone'. It was a five course meal at a high end restaurant and way out of my spending zone though I want it so much. Some castle set around $50 would be more akin to a 'bone' "
Agree I am now forced to PAB my castle soldiers, but this is not the topic for that debate.
It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project.
Astronaut looks ok. Would get it on deep discount though. I reckon you could build a cool Space Castle with the parts too ;)
@MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
...and, here. we. go!
@MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
Yet was likely being developed before the Ideas project was ever posted.
Curse those dastardly time travelers in LEGO's secret Chrono-Espionage Division!
The ship has some Vic Viper vibes
I’m most excited to use the canopy piece to make the spaceship from Outer Wilds
It warms my heart to see another LEGO Vic Viper!
That’s probably the best way to get me to buy a set.
Lego just cannot stop making mechs.
@MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
Yes, except that:
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
legotruman model was called: LEGO Astronaut – Never Give Up. The 'Never Give Up' is allusion to the fact that this set was reposted after reaching 10k and being rejected.
So, for the perennial Lego defenders: this model got 20k votes (in two different postings) starting from about 3 years ago - Lego DID steal this design.
You can read his latest comment if you like, you can feel the frustration - and its quite understandable. (you might want to read the last 20 or so comments)
I hate the gold visor.
@HOBBES said:
"Lego DID steal this design."
Tiresome.
Who’s to say how long Lego’s version has been in development? Ignorant to make statements like this when we have absolutely no insight, other than that some sets are in development for many, many years.
@chrisaw said:
" @HOBBES said:
"Lego DID steal this design."
Tiresome.
Who’s to say how long Lego’s version has been in development? Ignorant to make statements like this when we have absolutely no insight, other than that some sets are in development for many, many years.
"
Wow, my first 'Perennial Lego Defender(PLD)'. That did not take long! And faithful to all Lego defenders: name calling. This Lego Defender decided to call me 'ignorant'. Let's see what else I will get from this constructive group of people...
"Space Astronaut"
In the immortal words of Penny Robinson: "No kidding."
(IDK how many people here have seen Lost In Space)
@HOBBES said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
Lego DID steal this design.
"
So they did steal it, but its . . . totally different? Or did you mean, they both made a thing that's based on a thing, and they both [for some inexplicable reason] happen to resemble that thing?
The IDEAS submission was a better looking model, I won't argue that, and its disappointing that it didn't get turned into a set for sure. I don't think many [if any] of us know why, but "stealing the design" is a stretch.
@279 said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
Lego DID steal this design.
"
So they did steal it, but its . . . totally different? Or did you mean, they both made a thing that's based on a thing, and they both [for some inexplicable reason] happen to resemble that thing?
The IDEAS submission was a better looking model, I won't argue that, and its disappointing that it didn't get turned into a set for sure. I don't think many [if any] of us know why, but "stealing the design" is a stretch."
True. My bad. Stole the idea (legotruman's design is significantly better)
@HOBBES said:
" @279 said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
Lego DID steal this design.
"
So they did steal it, but its . . . totally different? Or did you mean, they both made a thing that's based on a thing, and they both [for some inexplicable reason] happen to resemble that thing?
The IDEAS submission was a better looking model, I won't argue that, and its disappointing that it didn't get turned into a set for sure. I don't think many [if any] of us know why, but "stealing the design" is a stretch."
True. My bad. Stole the idea"
Yeah, that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego spaceman. It’s not like Lego has been making spacemen for decades, or something.
Apropos of nothing at all: i can't believe i'm just now realizing there is a 'hide comments from user' function.
@fakespacesquid said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @279 said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
Lego DID steal this design.
"
So they did steal it, but its . . . totally different? Or did you mean, they both made a thing that's based on a thing, and they both [for some inexplicable reason] happen to resemble that thing?
The IDEAS submission was a better looking model, I won't argue that, and its disappointing that it didn't get turned into a set for sure. I don't think many [if any] of us know why, but "stealing the design" is a stretch."
True. My bad. Stole the idea"
Yeah, that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego spaceman. It’s not like Lego has been making spacemen for decades, or something."
All right, let's get through this:
21100: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego submarine
21344: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego train
21388: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego cottage
21336: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego sitcom
21330: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego house
21328: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego sitcom
21325: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego blacksmith
21309: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego rocket
21322: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego pirate ship
21319: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego sitcom
21307: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego car
21109: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego mech
21301: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego animal
....
....
etc.
How about the two selections of today:
Twilight: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego house
Botanical garden: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego botanical garden
Of course all these objects are ever so present, Lego employees do not live in cloisters
and have seen all that is around us. There have been many cases already where an idea was proposed and Lego rejected it to propose its own view of it (these came relatively fast after the rejected proposal and were most likely already in the development pipeline - and that's just fine). This case is different: the set has been rejected twice. This is not like a new theme which require lengthy development and market analysis time - this is just a model of something that was 'happening' almost 40 years ago.
If that is the way of thinking about it, then they should close the idea theme. Everybody has seen everything and Lego has been making pretty much all of that over the last 70 years.
But Lego defenders must defend - I get that...
I kind of love it, as I like Space as well as mechs. But at 50 euro I'll wait for a major price drop or until it becomes common on the aftermarket used. That said, at least it's not more needlessly big and expensive than it should be, so that's good!
There's a starman waiting in the sky...
While not nearly as great as the rejected Ideas submission, I still really like this! It's also a fair bit smaller and (thus) cheaper than that one would have been, which I don't think is a bad thing at all. It looks indeed a bit too skinny, though that also depends on the pose. It still looks pretty great on that stand, in the iconic pose. It's a bit weird (and cheap) that they didn't include a few tiles for the rear of the backpack, and maybe a few inverted tiles to cover up some antistuds, but I can live with that.
Can't say I care much for the spaceship, but that Space Dog is a pretty good reason to buy another one once the discounts kick in....
As for the did they or did they not....it is at least a bit fishy. And somehow I have a feeling that many who defend Lego here would have a very different opinion if some other brand would have come up with a set like this. Also, how long does it take to develop a Lego set? Considering they release hundreds of sets each year, I can't imagine a small set like this to be a multiple year project.
Legotruman’s Idea model is WAY better than this.
It has the right proportions, bulk and the backpack is significantly bigger and much more detailed.
But his is about 300+ more pieces.
This is ok at best but dang LEGO at least get the proportions closer than this skinny figure.
@CDM said:
"Apropos of nothing at all: i can't believe i'm just now realizing there is a 'hide comments from user' function."
It's my favourite feature on the site. It's not perfect but I see so much less nonsense than I used to. I only wish it also hid replies to comments from people you've blocked, that's the only way most of the toxicity leaks through to me these days.
Anyway, my real comment here is that I cannot remember a 3-in-1 set where one of the secondary models appealed to me so much more than the main model. That Spacedog is adorable and deserves to be the star of his own set! His little face!
@HOBBES said:
" @fakespacesquid said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @279 said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
aesthetic/accuracy of model from legotruman: 10/10 +1 point bonus for persistence
aesthetic/accuracy of model from Lego: 6/10
Lego DID steal this design.
"
So they did steal it, but its . . . totally different?"
True. My bad. Stole the idea"
Yeah, that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego spaceman. It’s not like Lego has been making spacemen for decades, or something."
All right, let's get through this:
How about the two selections of today:
Twilight: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego house
Botanical garden: that guy was definitely the first person to think of building a Lego botanical garden
Of course all these objects are ever so present, Lego employees do not live in cloisters
and have seen all that is around us. There have been many cases already where an idea was proposed and Lego rejected it to propose its own view of it (these came relatively fast after the rejected proposal and were most likely already in the development pipeline - and that's just fine). This case is different: the set has been rejected twice. This is not like a new theme which require lengthy development and market analysis time - this is just a model of something that was 'happening' almost 40 years ago.
If that is the way of thinking about it, then they should close the idea theme. Everybody has seen everything and Lego has been making pretty much all of that over the last 70 years.
But Lego defenders must defend - I get that..."
If we're going to post links, lets not leave out some of the buildable astronaut IDEAS submission that came before [i'm sure there were/are others]
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/b504ee98-5d0b-4e22-a084-7279b2794d8a
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/5ae64dc9-8db1-44b0-aef9-6fdf5f0abaa1
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/1a2b07cd-9682-4cd8-92c7-c57d0aeee849
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/4b24ba08-2d51-4709-80c2-3469be59c292
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/24bb475f-1a46-4601-b55b-b50826aa30ec
or just a few days after legotruman's first submission
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/667c9a12-dd40-4c26-8dcf-21feaad551ab
I think the takeaway should be, if you're going to base your IDEAS submission on a real-world/popular [thing], you have to remember that you're likely not the only one working on that same subject, and manage your expectations similarly.
@WizardOfOss No, I wouldn't imagine this set itself took THAT long to develop, Tho I suspect the 3-in-1 aspect might take a little longer than other sets of similar size.
I think the bigger consideration is that the set is part of a cross-theme brand/campaign for 2024. With as many sets and themes as are involved [including an entire CMF wave] I'd have to imagine that the campaign has been in development as long or longer than most sets normally would be.
I just can't see past a hipster astronaut wearing skinny jeans...
At first info , this set had a very similar price/piece count to 40649 : Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure, so before actual pictures, I held some thought this could be a buildable LEGO space minifigure of some sort.
However, I still think this turned out to be a pretty cool set , and likely one that might get a lot of cool alternate builds on rebrickable due to it's larger size but still cohesive color scheme.
LEGO also kept the color red/darkblue accent color the same as 31134 : Space Shuttle , 31115 : Space Mining Mech , 31107 : Space Rover Explorer , 31117 : Space Shuttle Adventure (and 31052 : Vacation Getaways) , which is like Creator's space faction. (but absent in 31142 : Space Roller Coaster)
@CDM said:
"Apropos of nothing at all: i can't believe i'm just now realizing there is a 'hide comments from user' function."
Thanks for the tip! *heads back to the Ideas announcement*
@Spritetoggle said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
Yet was likely being developed before the Ideas project was ever posted.
Curse those dastardly time travelers in LEGO's secret Chrono-Espionage Division!"
Maybe the Chrono-Espionage Machine will be the employee gift for 2024? ;-)
The astronaut looks like it's wearing trainers instead of boots... But I might pick one up if I see it for a reasonable discount.
@LEGOKINGKD110 said:
" @Spritetoggle said:
" @MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
Yet was likely being developed before the Ideas project was ever posted.
Curse those dastardly time travelers in LEGO's secret Chrono-Espionage Division!"
Maybe the Chrono-Espionage Machine will be the employee gift for 2024? ;-)"
Any Time Cruisers references will be a tell. These nefarious supervillain types always show their hand eventually.
@Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
I really feel for the Castle fans who have nearly 300 sets in the official Castle theme alone, not to mention Harry Potter, Nexo Knights, and all sorts of one- or two- or three-offs in other themes or in the Ideas and Creator themes. There's so little material for them, to say nothing of how many specialized parts squarish structures composed of bricks and stones require.
3-in-1 fans? They've gotten like 20 "astronaut buildable figure" sets before. I don't know why they keep making those instead of using the 3-in-1 branding to consistently make new types of never-before-seen models. Throw them to the wolves and make way for those poor, impoverished, non-entitled Castle fans.
@8BrickMario said:
"Space for a minifigure, but no minifigure included? Why?"
To be cheaper
@MusiMus said:
"It looks like ripped off from Ideas rejected project."
And the lego ideas version which sadly didn't pass today was 100x better than this!
You can buy a real one for cheaper! Oh wait, wrong tiresome comment.
Looks solid and I look forward to seeing how the 2024 Space initiative develops. Probably going to wait for a price drop, though.
Thanks for showing more of the back of the A-model - that's definitely the most "camera-unfriendly" backside among these 2020s System figures. That said, remembering that this is in the Creator 3-in-1 theme, bad angles are easier to excuse when part choice is influenced by their usefulness in other models; set design via "jack of all trades, master of none."
Maybe Lego stole the Ideas project, maybe they didn't.
The key takeaway is that people are losing trust in the Ideas process because it has zero transparency into any of its decision making.
@Ooer said:
"I’m most excited to use the canopy piece to make the spaceship from Outer Wilds"
That was my first thought upon seeing this set as well!
@legoDad42 said:
"Legotruman’s Idea model is WAY better than this.
It has the right proportions, bulk and the backpack is significantly bigger and much more detailed.
But his is about 300+ more pieces.
This is ok at best but dang LEGO at least get the proportions closer than this skinny figure."
EDIT: I'm guessing, that the reason they went 'skinny' is for kids to play with easier.
I always forget that.
It's skinny around the waist so the kid can get their hands around it, to hold easier the figure.
And probably sturdier with less parts so the kid can play without things falling off.
@SINTAX said:
"I just can't see past a hipster astronaut wearing skinny jeans..."
I can't believe Lego copied my skinny jeans look!! Those bastards!
Tip for kids: never skip leg day. ;)
Maybe this will show up at Costco. I could be convinced with a decent discount.
The original Ideas version of this, from where LEGO stole the design and idea, looked far better.
The spaceship build is cool. But, out of principle, I will not buy this set under any circumstances.
I will not encourage or reward LEGO's increasingly recurrent tendency to refuse fan submissions on LEGO Ideas only to then steal the designs and Ideas, pass them as their own.
Thanks for the detailed review!
Benny and Benny's smile made my day :-D
Personally I like the set so much I actually bought one at Wal-Mart yesterday. Matter of fact they had nearly half of the Jan 1 releases on the shelves of my local store.
So let me see if I understand this whole "stealing" conversation. So Lego can never make a set that may resemble an Ideas submission that achieved 10K votes? What about 5000 votes?
The development time which I have had a little inside info on can take several years from general concepts to finished themes and then finished models. Have you ever thought that maybe more then one person can have a similar idea? The original idea behind Ideas had been 1 set a quarter, since the popularity of the theme has grown we are now seeing 2-3 sets a quarter from many different subjects.
For the folks upset, don't buy it, or better yet quit Lego since they are such a horrid corporation maybe if you stop buying they will see the drop off in sales of a few sets and rethink how they work.
Or better yet let's just shut down the Ideas theme all together. This way no one will have anything to complain about (just in case you are unable to understand, this was sarcasm).
@Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
I love Castle. But Space is my bread and butter, so 2024 is probably the most 'into' an entire year of Lego I've been in for maybe ten or twelve years.
@Stoker_stu said:
" @CC said:
" @Blazenhozen said:
"Its staggering how few castles Lego releases. Its what everyone wants. And they never throw us a bone.
"
?? 10305"
10305 wasn't a 'bone'. It was a five course meal at a high end restaurant and way out of my spending zone though I want it so much. Some castle set around $50 would be more akin to a 'bone' "
Honestly, if LEGO released a stand-alone castle set for $50, I feel that the most likely reaction from Castle fans would be complaining that it was puny and insubstantial (similar to the reaction that most of the 2013 Castle sets got). After all, most full-size castles since 2005 have cost AT LEAST a hundred bucks — including 31120 from Creator 3-in-1, which is perhaps the most relevant one to this particular review.
Anyway, very impressed with this set! We've seen a lot of great brick-built creatures from Creator 3-in-1 in recent years, but brick-built "human" characters are a lot rarer, and this one has some really good shaping and proportions in that regard (except for the back of the torso where compromises were made to allow for a removable backpack/mobility unit). The mech-style minifig cockpit behind the visor is a really clever surprise, especially since it'd already be a very impressive model even without that sort of hidden feature!
The space dog is an adorably charming alternate build in its own right! I can't help but think about the sort of extraterrestrial hijinks this pup would get up to in space, almost like Snowy in the classic Tintin comic "Explorers on the Moon".
Likewise, the "Viper spacecraft" is a great homage to Nate Nielsen (nnenn) and to the community of adult LEGO Space builders he helped to inspire, following in the footsteps of the "Vic Viper" style alternate builds previously included in other 3-in-1 sets like 31086, 31107, and 31134.
All in all, I'd say the designers of this set have done a really impressive job here! Makes me excited to see what other sorts of Space-related models the 3-in-1 team could tackle in the future!
@benbacardi:
Benny's "usual" color scheme is not his authentic color scheme. The original blue Spaceman was the only blue you'd find in 1580, 6750, 6805, 6808, 6809, 6820, 6824, 6827, or 6940. 6702 was just a minifig pack, and the proto-Futuron color scheme of Benny Central (6972) only has trans-blue. 6971 is the only set that features any hint of the blue/trans-yellow color scheme, but both of the vehicles included are white.
@HOBBES:
Don't discount the possibility that, being based on anything NASA-related, the Ideas project got auto-rejected due to current/recent licensing deals. Doesn't take the sting out, but I find a lot of the "they stole my idea" issues clearly stem from IP restrictions.
@StyleCounselor:
My "car" for most of high school was a Schwinn 10-speed. I got sick of the derailleur slipping, so I adjusted it to 10th gear and tightened it up so hard I couldn't move it if I wanted. _Every_ day was leg day.
@legowerba:
The general rule for rejected Ideas projects, or those that fail to reach 10k votes, is that the first thing an AFOL is aware of is the first thing that was thought of. And that, even if you exclusively pick your ideas from the list of restricted IP/themes, they should have broken their own rules and accepted your project rather than doing something under a different theme. Reading these comments puts you at risk of a sprained eyebrow.
@MisterBrickster said:
" @CDM said:
"Apropos of nothing at all: i can't believe i'm just now realizing there is a 'hide comments from user' function."
It's my favourite feature on the site. It's not perfect but I see so much less nonsense than I used to. I only wish it also hid replies to comments from people you've blocked, that's the only way most of the toxicity leaks through to me these days.
Anyway, my real comment here is that I cannot remember a 3-in-1 set where one of the secondary models appealed to me so much more than the main model. That Spacedog is adorable and deserves to be the star of his own set! His little face!"
Like a few others, I haven't blocked a single poster, and I don't skip over posts just because of who wrote them. Therefore, I've noticed that, except when certain incendiary topics are raised*, the general tone of the boards has still improved. In part, I would attribute this to two of the most vocal proponents of the blocking feature largely going quiet (the Advent Calendar rundown being a temporary exception). Very few people seem to respond to either of them, suggesting they both ended up on the receiving end of that same feature far more than they probably expected.
This seems to be emblematic of modern internet culture, expressed both in terms of those whose sole contribution to any discussion is to frame it in terms of one single thing that they never stop complaining about, and on the other hand those who prefer to ostrich until they live in an echo chamber where they never have to face a single contradictory opinion or fact.
*One persistent issue appears to have been shut down with the up-front threat of removing posts that are off-topic, since the main purpose appeared to have been to sabotage the comment section by forcing it to be shut down as quickly as possible, thus preventing others from discussing things that a few people feel should be permanently ignored.
@PurpleDave said:
" @StyleCounselor:
My "car" for most of high school was a Schwinn 10-speed. I got sick of the derailleur slipping, so I adjusted it to 10th gear and tightened it up so hard I couldn't move it if I wanted. _Every_ day was leg day."
My 'car' for most of high school was riding shotgun with friends or the backseat of my brothers' car.
That's why I'm where I'm at today. Envy and bitterness. I wasn't 'given' anything. So, I read books, ran hills, and lifted weights.
Now, I'm the Great Gatsby!
Don't skip leg day, kids. Squats make men.
@PurpleDave said:
"This seems to be emblematic of modern internet culture, expressed both in terms of those whose sole contribution to any discussion is to frame it in terms of one single thing that they never stop complaining about, and on the other hand those who prefer to ostrich until they live in an echo chamber where they never have to face a single contradictory opinion or fact."
You're more than welcome to wear that badge of courage just as I, or anyone else, is welcome to selectively remove those that regularly offer nothing of substance (often purposefully so) from our sphere in the comment section of a toy blog.
@CDM:
My observation has been that people like that tend to fall into two camps. One is people who show up, make a huge disturbance, and quickly get chased out (whether by force, by active discouragement, or being ignored). The other periodically posts a comment worth reading.