Review: 5008897 Tic Tac Toe

I currently only have about 3500 points. So not enough for both this set & the Chronometer. Need to choose one and hope the other is still available once my point balance has enough to get it.

Now I wish I had passed on the magnet 5008908 and spent my points on this instead.

A cute set, but just play Tic Tac Toe on a piece of paper and spend the points on something else!

Every astronaut guys: :)

@Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

I think the game is for children.
If two persons play, who know the game, it is always a tie.

What packaging does it come in? Is it in one of those yellow boxes, like many other recent Insiders Rewards?
Some nice packaging would at least make it a bit better—when they are already sparing on air tanks.

Sadly an Insiders Reward :(

@ohrmazd said:
" @DoonsterBuildsLego said:
" @Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

How about a nice game of chess? "
Global thermal nuclear war.
"

My old hometown. Cheyenne Mountain.

@Yooha said:
" @Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

I think the game is for children.
If two persons play, who know the game, it is always a tie."

The only way Tic Tac Toe can be interesting is to incorporate it into another game where there is some sort of skill and/or chance involved in the method of determining which player can place their symbol on the board (for example, Hollywood Squares).

Seems pretty unnecessary to have 5 identical astronauts. They should have made a game between two different Classic Space factions.

This is not a Battlebag. It is not even a science team. BUT I hope SPACE comes back.

Damn I still have 2 VIP rewards waiting for an order.
Points required is not much considering the amount of figs.
Would be nice if people could redeem one set a month like with the ninjago micro's in the first months.

Ordered my 5 white and 5 orange airtanks on Bricklink the day this set was announced to avoid the inevitable hike in price that happened with the grey airtanks when the "rocket boy" minifigure was released. Only just have enough points thanks to a purchase on the Insider's weekend. Hopefully they hit my account before Friday! Thanks for the review Huw, and as always, you're doing a great job for the Lego community!

I really like these bag-build challenge sets.

@AlfredHitchcock said:
" @Yooha said:
" @Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

I think the game is for children.
If two persons play, who know the game, it is always a tie."

The only way Tic Tac Toe can be interesting is to incorporate it into another game where there is some sort of skill and/or chance involved in the method of determining which player can place their symbol on the board (for example, Hollywood Squares)."

In the late 70s and 80s there was a UK version called Celebrity Squares. There was a great line about the people in it in Ricky Gervais' TV show Derek. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bmejp?start=793

I would've preferred they either did black and white or green and orange. Maybe pink and blue.

Looks nice! I’m slightly more inclined to get one now. Couldn’t agree more about the two main issues with the figs. If anything, I find the ill-fitting visors more offensive than the lack of air tanks!

@Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

How about a nice game of chess?

I used mine on the Halloween glow-in-the-dark prints. Now, I've gotta place 6 orders to have them shipped.

@'s post before yours? SmilingCyclops said:
"Disappointed that the review didn't include any evaluation of the game mechanics. Did you even play it????"

Did you not even see @Librarian1976's post before yours? Speaking of which, @Slave2legosaid:" @Librarian1976 said:"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

Love it!! You need to be a certain age to get this pop culture reference"

Or, you know, just have been exposed to pop cultural osmosis: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PopCulturalOsmosis I get a lot of references to media I've never consumed, and that's one of them.

People keep lamenting the lack of using a color other than white, or two colors not used before, or...well you get the point; but consider this: one side retro/classic spacefolk, on the other...aliens...no, not the THE 'Aliens' (as in Xenomorphs for that franchise) but either a new design, or even one based from the old CMFs or 'Alien Conquest', or 'Galaxy Squad'...something 'else' other than what is...

The fact that you can only buy Insider-items by adding them to another order, instead of just being able to buy them with points is a ridiculous premise to start with. Rather assuming and thus convincing me of just getting my discounts.

It would be nice that minifigs have different face prints

That's like making a pirate Captain with the scared-face of Emmet from Lego Movie, totally unacceptable.

I like the reference to the moonscape, but why no red spacemen?

Looks fine, real appeal is 10 identical minifigs. Even though they are cheap but identical means ability to play this game

If only they actually were classic spacemen, instead of this wierd mix between classic space and futuron that everyone calls "classic space"

@watcher21 said:
" @ra226 said:
" @testudo80 said:
"This is not a Battlebag. It is not even a science team. BUT I hope SPACE comes back."

I'm pretty sure SPACE is back. It's just called City now. And Icons. And Friends, and Technic, and Creator, and...

I love it--I'm hoping they go the Transformers "Generations" route and give us more "remasters" of classics like they did with 497 and 6894. I've been slowly tapering off on my Lego collecting, but boy, if they did that, I don't think there'd be any escape for me."

6954 is said to get an remake in january"

I hope they don't screw that one up like with the invader. Also hope they keep the mix and match feature...

As much as I like Classic Space people, these aren't proper ones anyway, without airtanks, with visors and the wrong faces.

I'd have preferred them to be the Blacktron 2.0 guys versus Space Police (maybe using a torso like the retro ones of the recent space CMF series).

SPACE sub theme is maybe back BUT NOT SPACE :/

I want one but I don't have anywhere near that many points I'm sure. Good thing ebay sellers are only asking $100...

@kyrodes said:
"Seems pretty unnecessary to have 5 identical astronauts. They should have made a game between two different Classic Space factions."

So…dark-purple Classic Spacemen vs OG Blacktron? I could get on board with this.

@brick_r:
https://brickshelf.com/gallery/PurpleDave/Cthuliens/01_cthulien_invasion.jpg

I wonder how many minifigures this set really has. The leaked pictures show 10 but the picture currently on lego.com shows only 8.

@doe said:
" @greenhorn said:
"What packaging does it come in? Is it in one of those yellow boxes, like many other recent Insiders Rewards?
Some nice packaging would at least make it a bit better—when they are already sparing on air tanks."

These were exactly my thoughts. I am a fan of Classic Space but with the wrong helmets, no air tanks and not even a nice Classic Space box, this set is just ok but not exciting. It's just some tiny adjustments and this could have been a great set. It's like leaving out the third layer of paint on a wooden duck."

Take the visors off and you have the modern mold of the classic space helmets, so they seem “right” to me.

@BelgianBricker said:
"If only they actually were classic spacemen, instead of this wierd mix between classic space and futuron that everyone calls "classic space""

As noted, these are not Futuron helmets, so other than the (silly, removeable) visors, these are classic all the way (minus air tanks and smiley faces).

Has anyone calculated how much it would cost to piece together five white and five orange space people on PAB?

@ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Has anyone calculated how much it would cost to piece together five white and five orange space people on PAB?"

I recently order 10 of the orange astronauts when the torsos were briefly available. Cost breakdown:

Mini lower part: $0.58
Helmet: $0.31
Oxygen bottles: $0.21
Head: $0.26
Mini upper part: $1.90

Total: $3.26 per complete figure

So, if you multiply that by 10, you get $32.26, making this set a relative bargain. Of course, you'd still need to purchase the oxygen bottles separately, and the smiley face head if you want that.

I'm not sure I like the direction Lego is going with these "extra" sets. Seems we are getting relatively "cheap" GWPs with lots of small parts, and the better sets this year can only be purchased with Insider points. For me last year's GWPs were much better (Majisto Workshop and Holiday Market stand). I ended up with three of each. This year's GWPs do not interest me at all. I think either the Tic Tac Toe or the Chronometer should have been a GWP, at least, if not both.

@KeithB said:
" @ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Has anyone calculated how much it would cost to piece together five white and five orange space people on PAB?"

I recently order 10 of the orange astronauts when the torsos were briefly available. Cost breakdown:

Mini lower part: $0.58
Helmet: $0.31
Oxygen bottles: $0.21
Head: $0.26
Mini upper part: $1.90

Total: $3.26 per complete figure

So, if you multiply that by 10, you get $32.26, making this set a relative bargain. Of course, you'd still need to purchase the oxygen bottles separately, and the smiley face head if you want that."

Thank you very much!!!

@KeithB said:
"I'm not sure I like the direction Lego is going with these "extra" sets. Seems we are getting relatively "cheap" GWPs with lots of small parts, and the better sets this year can only be purchased with Insider points. For me last year's GWPs were much better (Majisto Workshop and Holiday Market stand). I ended up with three of each. This year's GWPs do not interest me at all. I think either the Tic Tac Toe or the Chronometer should have been a GWP, at least, if not both."

I've found the opposite when it comes to value. Last week, I listed and sold the "Books" GWP for £46 plus postage. Today, I listed the record player GWP. Sold within minutes at £40 plus postage.

@PurpleDave: YEEEESSSS...A thousand-times YES!!!!:D
also:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvCw873c-vg

Decent idea, poor execution.

Not that it matters, I don't have 2400 point nor will I likely have acquire that many anytime soon.

@Ridgeheart said:
" @ambr said:
"I like the reference to the moonscape, but why no red spacemen?"

This takes place planetside. The redshirts all died off-camera."

Nope! They don’t have that license!

@Fat_Fred said:
"I wonder how many minifigures this set really has. The leaked pictures show 10 but the picture currently on lego.com shows only 8.
"

My dude! Something tells me, if you read the article/review you're commenting on [or the summary box at least?], you'd have the answer to that question already. ;)

@Librarian1976 said:
"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

LOL W.O.P.R.

@ra226 said:
" @PhantomBricks said:
"I'm not a classic space fan, although I do have a bit of nostalgia for it through my cousins and the innate charm, but no classic smiley faces is quite odd. I find it strange because they used the same head anyway. The entire purpose for them to use modern heads is for the diverse options. If they aren't going to go with different expressions and heads, why not use the classic smile? It's a bit more bizarre since the target audience will be classic space fans. The lack of air tanks is disappointing as well, but that is more excusable if orange isn't in production."

Completely agree--such a strange little set. So many questions: why bother including the visors, why no tanks, why orange? This could have been a true battle pack at the same price with no board, maybe 4-6 figures and a few classic accessories like walkie talkie and the metal detector tool and people would have gone nuts for it. I'm sure it's not as simple as this, but it really feels like they just had too many of that face and too many visors."

Lego like to keep things exclusive or limit the rarety of things to drive more sales. Its why we can often see exclusive figs in £100s sets not availible anywhere else yet at that point in time is the only way of getting that figure, yet Lego could release that same fig in a minbuild ship set. Lego never been the same since that guy from topps card/card collecting worked/works for Lego however the series 10 CMF minifigure "Mr Gold" divided the Lego community and had backlash (I actually found a Mr Gold yet sold it cheap £660 in the hype). Lego can make virtually as many versions of a figure e.g Bobba Fett as they wanted, just enough to be different/collectable. Lego knowing fans love classic space save and milk the idea of releasing colours for collecting/milking (another colour set in with the upcoming fan voted Ideas gumball machine). Lego has many "rainy day" ideas (ideas that are most coveted to Lego fans e.g monorail/chrome silver... and Lego would use them to get back customers to save the company like fans essentially bailed out Lego in 2004-2005 and did many promos like free Lego to save the company, still Lego uses this to exploit brand perception e.g Lego knew the gag of bringing back the goat figure yet used it to distract Lego fans with the backward steps/script of change to card boxes which Lego made problem to monopolise from, yet still Lego gets greedy and its the reseller often that has to put up with Lego card CMF packagign ripped open because packs are no longer "feelable" or "identifyable" (without QR scan/X-Ray/micro weight scale) but that is the result of Lego playing into script/3rd parties/profitering. Lego could make any figure exclusive and its like printing money because it only costs the part+ink to make a fig vs a normal fig e.g city and Lego has been making and leeking out excess minifigures and reselling them on individually (from the factory) for easy money+under the table/off the record figs/prototypes.

I must say that if Lego had airtanks then the one in the book/any others are then not exlusive anymore or was at that point in time. If Lego was on the verge of bankruptsy they could make chrome gold (gold ring) or bring back chrome silver to save the company, but they wont do that now as that "rainy day" idea is already out the bag and Lego milk figs for far more then its worth.

No tanks no smiley faces? But they put visors on those helmets?

Why am I questioning LEGO more and more recently?

I am tempted to 'bag' this tomorrow, it's a quirky little set (although I think the visors are a bit off and would pick up the air tanks separately] I have the points and it looks like you have 60 days to add it to an order and that takes us into January... if the rumoured remake of 6954 is released early January it can be combined with that order for some Classic Space army building. If it's half as good an upgrade as the Galaxy Explorer it will be another retro [AFOL] win for Lego.

A nicely-comprehensive review of a lovely little set.

As ever, of course, such wonderful things shouldn't be locked behind points, and definitely shouldn't be subject to FOMO-fuelling completely artificial scarcity...

Can someone double-check something for me? Neither the official LEGO image, not the game shown in this review, look like likely game scenarios (if both players have any experience of noughts & crosses\tic-tac-toe). Can an veteran player confirm or quash this please?

You’d think I’d be thrilled with this, but the make-up of the set screams “surplus part sourced.” The white CS torso has been available very consistently on pick-a-brick for like…a year? And the Orange has been available on and off. So, if I have the points and it’s still available, it’s a maybe for me, even as an avid Classic Space guy. But I guess I’m glad it exists, even though I’m not all fired up to obtain it given my p-a-b stockpiles over the last few months.

As for “why this and not that” questions…valid, but I think it’s a matter of “what can we sell with what we have on hand?” Seems like it was about what surplus part inventory was available to make a cost effective Insiders “set.” I mean…if the astronauts were black and blue or purple…brown…almost any other color, and I’d be all over this. I’m pretty well covered for white and orange and though.

At the end of the day, it’s a good way to get 10 CS torsos, so while for me it’s not the biggest draw, I can’t really be mad at it. I will take my Classic Space where I can get it.

@bananaworld:
It really depends on the skill level of the players involved. As someone who has studied the game a bit, if I go first, I can force a win or a draw, depending on whether your first selection is an edge or a corner. If I go second, I can avoid losing if you do the sensible thing and take center first. As a rank novice, however, someone might be so focused on trying to win that they miss the obvious block and end up losing. So, as long as the two sides are within one piece of each other, and the short side didn’t win, it’s a plausible scenario.

Take the one shown at the top of the page. I could see it going like this:

Orange to center
White to lower left
Orange to upper right for the block
White to center right
Orange to upper right for the block
White to lower center, having failed to pay attention and sets up a win rather than blocking
Orange would then (depending on how attentive the player is) take the win with upper center, or block with lower left. Only if they set up a second win in the center left does White have any chance to win. Any other scenario from this point results in Orange winning. At this point, there isn’t any possibility of forcing a draw.

@Draykov:
According to the Steamboat Willie designer, a complete and accurate Brown should be off-limits because it was released as a CMF, and nobody is allowed to exactly copy their minifigs anymore. Black, blue, or dark-purple would all be welcome, because none of those have been publicly released with the new retro helmet, if you exclude Benny. All can be built with existing parts, but that can get very expensive if you’re trying to amass a bunch of them.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Draykov :
According to the Steamboat Willie designer, a complete and accurate Brown should be off-limits because it was released as a CMF, and nobody is allowed to exactly copy their minifigs anymore."

LEGO works in mysterious ways at times, and while my hope for more Classic Space astronauts in various colors is EVERGREEN, I'm also a realist. That said, is there a source for that designer's comment? As described, it doesn't make much sense to me. I'm not suggesting they will release another brown spaceman anytime soon, but...why would they handcuff themselves? After all, the blue space baby (while not a traditional minifig) has already appeared outside of the Collectible Minifig line (31142 and 40712).

@Draykov:
It was a comment in an interview about the Steamboat Willie set, and why they chose to decorate the minfigs with silver. At the time, the set came out before the CMF wave, so people were already freaking out about the fact that the hats were new molds (believed to be forbidden to Ideas at the time, and confirmed by the interview). The hats were developed for the CMF versions, which solved that problem for the Ideas designer, but it also locked the minifig designs so they couldn't do perfect copies of them. Switching part of the deco to silver got around that problem, while also being a little salute to the fact that Mickey and Minney both appeared first on the "silver screen".

I don't know if Baby Benny is affected by the same restriction, since it's technically not a minifig. However, the CMF version with white dots in the eyes does appear in 31142, while the version with solid black eyes appears in 40712. I'm inclined to think they're being treated as an accessory more than a minifig, and that the change in eye style was more about being consistent with vintage Spacemen.