Review: 40921 Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure
Posted by Huw,
40921 Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure is set to join the collection of 6-scale minifigures next month, a figure that fans of the 6x-scale models have been waiting for since they debuted in 2021.
As you'd expect, this one is much the same as its predecessors in terms of design, although the hip joints have been improved considerably.
Summary
40921 Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure, 793 pieces.
£54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 | 6.9p, 7.6c, 7.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The 6x scale minifigure we've all been waiting for!
- Good rendition of a much-loved minifigure
- Revised hip joint has increased stability
- Air tanks look excellent
- Could do with an accessory
- Helmet chin area is a bit chunky
- Subassemblies incompatible with earlier figures
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Parts
The most notable new part is this 6x5x1 panel printed with the classic space logo. There are also a number of parts that have been recoloured in blue, but I'll direct you to New Elementary's analysis once it's been published.
Construction
The internals of the torso that hold the sides at an an angle and provide friction on the arm joints is much the same as that in the older figures, but the hip joint is much improved. Earlier ones used a pair of Technic ball joints on each leg which provided the required movement but were prone to wobbling because they relied on friction and the body of the figures is quite heavy.
The astronaut uses Technic click-hinges instead, which are much more stable and secure.
The completed model
The figure stands about 26cm tall and looks pretty good from every angle, especially the back for a change, where the detail on the air tanks can be appreciated.
The helmet's chin guard, made using four Brick, 1X3X1 2/3, Circle Arches and a 1x4 version that I am not familiar with, looks slightly chunky from this angle.
The figure is constructed in, and can be broken down into, subassemblies, but they do not replicate those on the real figure exactly. The head can't be removed from the helmet, and the neck strap of the tanks is affixed to the torso rather than to the tanks themselves.
Slightly annoyingly, the hip's interface with the torso and the way the head is attached are different to those in earlier figures, so you can't put Santa's legs on the spaceman's torso, for example, without some rebuilding.
As with 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure, there's a 'pilot' inside the head, accessed by removing the top of the helmet. This time it's a robot which closely resembles those in classic space sets who sits inside, in front of a pair of printed control panels.
Verdict
Fans of up-scaled minifigures have been waiting for this one, and they will not be disappointed!
It would have been nice if it had come with an accessory such as a radio, metal detector, or 'torch' like those carried by the LEGO space pioneers of the late 1970s, but that would of course have increased the price.
Talking of which, it's priced the same as the first single regular retail one, 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure. ($59.99, £54.99, €59.99), which is a pleasant surprise.
If you want to build an accessory for it, you'll find instructions for the aforementioned ones on typewriter designer Steve Guinness' (aka The Brick Consultant's) Facebook page. I wanted to do so for this review, but didn't have all the required parts to hand.
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88 comments on this article
Day 1 purchase for me. Already got parts to replace the some of the visible studs.
Just wish there was a matching minifigure.
Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line...
Seems like you put the right hand "fingers" in the opposite way. Space mutant. :D
Damn now 40767 wants a father (or mother)
Looks great, especially with the spacebaby! I can't say as this is a need, but who knows what discounts might happen and tempt me.
Oh, that price increase on 40649 escaped my notice. It was €49.99 when it was released:
https://brickset.com/article/95212/40649-up-scaled-lego-minifigure-arrives-on-lego-com
It is nice, but the lack of consistency really shows in the tiling of the foot area. The large spaceman has 6 nobbly toes on each foot whereas the baby one does not. Some in the past do, some don't. I know it is a simple fix by adding a couple of plates but LEGO not doing it seems like they don't care about details. It would also have been nice if LEGO had tested and optimised the hips and so on first time around and had consistency between parts so that they could be switchable, although then I guess people would complain that they are lazy recolours rather than new models.
I didn't get the others but I'm not gonna miss this.
These must be selling if they keep making them, and they are cool to look at, but I just find them very monotonous in reality (with the exception of 40504 pirate).
Now, an upscaled version of Grogu...but I doubt we'll see more licensed figures in this line.
Definitely buying this!
Love that last pic.
Great stuff.
Hopefully LEGO will do a Galactus figure in this scale and style.
I can’t wait! I’ve been wanting this since they first released these upscales figs, and it looks perfect! Got the space baby already, too!
I would buy a pack of parts with the CS logo on them in different sizes, colors, etc.
When I first saw it I remember thinking well thats just the same as the red one, before remembering as soon as I got the Octan Figure I quickly merged with the Original and made some Red hands and Legs to make my own. Sticker for the logo and a parts from a Monkie Kid set to fashion the oxygen tanks. I'll be getting this pretty quick. Just need Lego to make the former Lego House Exclusive Pirate available. {Lego if you are listening. Make Lego House exclusives available, 1 year later if need be without any parts saying Lego house so we can all get something like it... please}
How different is the leg interface? Comparing pictures of the two they seem pretty close?
Regardless, small (but kinda annoying) flaw on an otherwise great set! Surely gonna get this!
As for the hip joints, is that really an improvement? I mean, click hinges might be a bit more stable (though never had problems with my 40649), but now you're limited to those click-positions.
@CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
Two more years until the 50th anniversary, we can only hope.
With each release I'm getting more tempted to pay over the odds to get 40504 to complete the set!
I'm waiting for someone to mod the chinstrap to be broken.
If you want to fix the bottom of the chin guard and remove the two small 2x2 with angle plates (24297 and 24307) which look unfinished, you can replace that with 2 99781 (6163471 in blue) and 2 5404 (6513920 in blue) - not perfect but better. You will also need 2 6636 (4118785 in blue) for the feet. As for the neck, we will need to see the instructions to get the proper tiles while maintaining the integrity of the build. We will also need to wait a bit to see how to properly tile the top of the helmet. I have already ordered those parts and will be ordering the rest when I see the instructions. Now begins the hunt for those 6x5x1 bricks in all sorts of colour (red white and black would suffice, I think!)
I am also not sure if the click hinge is an improvement. Preset angles vs inifinite positioning...
I suppose this will the set to buy (plus some small city sets) to get the Japanese restaurant GWP.
Can't wait! And thanks for the link to The Brick Consultant's accessories :)
This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???
@ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing.
@WizardOfOss said:
"How different is the leg interface? Comparing pictures of the two they seem pretty close?
Regardless, small (but kinda annoying) flaw on an otherwise great set! Surely gonna get this!
As for the hip joints, is that really an improvement? I mean, click hinges might be a bit more stable (though never had problems with my 40649), but now you're limited to those "
The new one is one plate higher.
It's unfortunate that the sprue-mark is on the print side of the 6x5x1 panel.
Space suit belly button? Oxygen refill interface? Or waste removal port?
Giant Classic Space mech! I'll definitely be getting this though may wait for a cool GWP or double points. Where are the 'robots' (plural) inside the helmet that were promised in LEGO's press release? I see one - what about the other(s)? And where's the rocket that's supposed to be there too according to the same press release and mentioned on LEGO's product page?
Im looking forward to a version of that from Castle
@CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted.
@Huw said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"How different is the leg interface? Comparing pictures of the two they seem pretty close?
Regardless, small (but kinda annoying) flaw on an otherwise great set! Surely gonna get this!
As for the hip joints, is that really an improvement? I mean, click hinges might be a bit more stable (though never had problems with my 40649), but now you're limited to those "
The new one is one plate higher."
Ah thanks, didn't notice that from the pictures. That's annoying and sounds kinda unnecessary.
Love it. And it goes against the grain by being decent value for money.
Love it. And it goes against the grain by being decent value for money.
Unpopular opinion: I like the little robot better than I would like a space minifig.
Time to get to work building them in every spaceman colour!!! Spaceship SpaceShip SAPCESHIP!!!
@JavaBrix said:
"Unpopular opinion: I like the little robot better than I would like a space minifig."
Even more unpopular opinion -
I hate minifigures full stop (can't understand the appeal to anyone over about 5 years old) ....
but I love all of the up-scaled minifigures!
Love that last picture. And I don't really care about the modules not being compatible with the previous figures; I only have 40649 and wasn't really planing to do that anyway.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"I'm waiting for someone to mod the chinstrap to be broken."
And do a sticker/printed part to make the logo faded.
Definite Day 1 candidate.
@CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink.
@darkstonegrey said:
"It's unfortunate that the sprue-mark is on the print side of the 6x5x1 panel."
That is indeed a real pity. Don't understand why they did that.
I still predict that this part is going to be a big seller once they put it on Bricks&Pieces.
@AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink. "
Searching for the word presentation should find them here ...
https://brickset.com/sets/850423-1/Minifigure-Presentation-Boxes
And on bricklink ...
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=850423-1&name=Presentation%20Box
@sjr60 said:
" @JavaBrix said:
"Unpopular opinion: I like the little robot better than I would like a space minifig."
Even more unpopular opinion -
I hate minifigures full stop (can't understand the appeal to anyone over about 5 years old) ....
but I love all of the up-scaled minifigures!
"
My favourite tree is the Unpoplar. My favourite minifigures however, are minifigure-scaled minifigures. I'm kind of done with these upscaled versions.
2026, the Year of the Dead Horse.
@CCC said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink. "
Searching for the word presentation should find them here ...
https://brickset.com/sets/850423-1/Minifigure-Presentation-Boxes
And on bricklink ...
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=850423-1&name=Presentation%20Box
"
Well........ I got one of these and was slightly disappointed to find it had "the wrong Helmet" but according to Brickset Lego did release the correct one in a Ninjago set of all places and turns out I have one. 77108 from 2020. Obviously lots of broken ones in Benny sets.
@Lego34s said:
" @CCC said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink. "
Searching for the word presentation should find them here ...
https://brickset.com/sets/850423-1/Minifigure-Presentation-Boxes
And on bricklink ...
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=850423-1&name=Presentation%20Box
"
Well........ I got one of these and was slightly disappointed to find it had "the wrong Helmet" but according to Brickset Lego did release the correct one in a Ninjago set of all places and turns out I have one. 77108 from 2020. Obviously lots of broken ones in Benny sets."
None of the re-releases of the time had the right helmet as LEGO hadn't remade the mould. There was the blue one, the green exosuit one, the white one in https://brickset.com/sets/5002812-1/Classic-Spaceman-Minifigure
Missed opportunity to include a much needed blue spaceman minifigure.
@JavaBrix said:
"
Unpopular opinion: I like the little robot better than I would like a space minifig."
I'll join the unpopular team.....I do like minifigs, but not every sets needs them. The robot is a fun little joke here. Could have been some kind of animal or alien as well, anything but a normal "human" minifig. Including a regular minifig would break the illusion that minifigs are actually controlled by some other being.
@CCC said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink. "
Searching for the word presentation should find them here ...
https://brickset.com/sets/850423-1/Minifigure-Presentation-Boxes
And on bricklink ...
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=850423-1&name=Presentation%20Box
"
Thank you, but like others have said, that one has got the wrong helmet. The correct one only ever came in Ninjago Gamer's Market 71708, of which I got two on clearance back in the day, funnily enough. Haven't even opened them yet.
Con: No alternate Benny face.
@ToysFromTheAttic said:
"Con: No alternate Benny face."
The face isn't the issue, the logo is.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @ToysFromTheAttic said:
"Con: No alternate Benny face."
The face isn't the issue, the logo is."
Two cons then!
@AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
May I ask, which "presentation box" are you taking of? Never saw such an item and can't find it on Bricklink. "
Searching for the word presentation should find them here ...
https://brickset.com/sets/850423-1/Minifigure-Presentation-Boxes
And on bricklink ...
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=850423-1&name=Presentation%20Box
"
Thank you, but like others have said, that one has got the wrong helmet. The correct one only ever came in Ninjago Gamer's Market 71708, of which I got two on clearance back in the day, funnily enough. Haven't even opened them yet. "
I was referring to the torso being (re)made, and of course the classic helmet has now been done. Those that bought him, now have the complete figure. And those that complained about the wrong helmet and refused to buy because of it, they don't have the complete figure. Just like what happened with green.
Tempting to get this and swap out a lot of the pieces to build a proper Lego Mini-fig style Galactus 76316, but I think it will be better just to part that out.
@CCC : the thing is, you can complete a "modern" blue astronaut by using the classic blue torso of old and combine it with the helmet from 71708.
The only three colours where only partial assembly is currently possible are
Bright light blue (missing the helmet)
Light bluish grey (missing the airtanks and helmet*)
and
Bright green (missing the printed torso)
*I know some use the old light grey helmet from the classic castle theme (plus the airtanks from classic space sets), but that's not only the wrong colour but also not the modern helmet mold with the sprue-mark on top.
That is truly excellent as a scaled rendition. I'm always amazed by the capacity of designers to have the good idea to use and assemble the good parts so that all fits as it does. Excellent.
Upon further analysis, this set will require a serious amount of modifications. On the side of the torso there is this annoying black part (73562) which should be blue (this was not a problem on the Santa figure because it was part of its belt). Unfortunately this part does not exist in blue but could be replaced with 11215 (6033353 in blue). That will however create new problems because this will interfere with some plates below - so all that will have to be changed to accommodate the larger part.
Also, I don't like the idea of the back of the torso not being finished. I will definitely cover completely the back of the torso. When my spaceman will remove his air-tank to rest, we won't see his innards. Similarly, the tank will be completely closed up (in blue, not the rainbow crap it is now) because it looks awful now when it is removed. Besides, what good is a tank if it is not sealed properly ;-)
Instead of this sliding plate at the bottom and top, I will put some clip attachment which is more discreet and also stronger than just a slide in. The technic pins at the top will remain but I will use 3L blue pins locked in the air-tank so when you remove it, the pins always stay with the air-tank (as it is now, you never know if the black pins will stay on the torso or the air-tank). Unfortunately, there is no solution for the parts around the neck - they will have to stay there when the air-tank is removed.
I'm guessing this will need close to 50 parts to modify this set to a 'proper' standard. Add to this another 50-ish parts to build a radio transmitter and then you have a decent rendition (IMO always).
@CCC said:
"I was referring to the torso being (re)made, and of course the classic helmet has now been done. Those that bought him, now have the complete figure. And those that complained about the wrong helmet and refused to buy because of it, they don't have the complete figure. Just like what happened with green."
I mean, congrats for buying a set from 15+ years ago? I don't even remember this pack being a thing, which is especially disappointing given the other figures in the set. The fact remains, the blue spaceman with the original helmet design remold has not been reissued and I hope that changes at some point in the future.
@HOBBES said:
"Also, I don't like the idea of the back of the torso not being finished. I will definitely cover completely the back of the torso. When my spaceman will remove his air-tank to rest, we won't see his innards. Similarly, the tank will be completely closed up (in blue, not the rainbow crap it is now) because it looks awful now when it is removed. Besides, what good is a tank if it is not sealed properly ;-)"
Quick, nobody tell @HOBBES how the minifig-size airtanks are hollow at the bottom!
Very nice looking. If I had any nitpicks it would be that I wish the computer screens in the "cockpit" were more classic-styled ones like those in the Galaxy Explorer (but chances are those specific prints are already out of production and probably not worth bringing back for a minor easter egg like that).
I'd like to recolor this into other classic space figs. Apart from the logo (which could be replaced by a custom sticker in a pinch), the biggest barriers to recoloring it are the new arches used for the helmet and chinstrap (which so far only come in blue), and the quarter cylinder panels used for the airtanks and helmet back (which don't come in any other classic space colors except white). I hope some of those missing recolors come out eventually so we can build this fig some friends!
I think it’s a very good thing to have different parts and building techniques from one megafig to the other. This could even have been the case within the set Harry & Hermione.
Waiting to see one of them in the RMOTD
day whatever of asking for a SW big fig like this, or a Giant Man in these proportions
@Lyichir said:
"Very nice looking. If I had any nitpicks it would be that I wish the computer screens in the "cockpit" were more classic-styled ones like those in the Galaxy Explorer (but chances are those specific prints are already out of production and probably not worth bringing back for a minor easter egg like that).
I'd like to recolor this into other classic space figs. Apart from the logo (which could be replaced by a custom sticker in a pinch), the biggest barriers to recoloring it are the new arches used for the helmet and chinstrap (which so far only come in blue), and the quarter cylinder panels used for the airtanks and helmet back (which don't come in any other classic space colors except white). I hope some of those missing recolors come out eventually so we can build this fig some friends!"
LEGO doesn’t usually name the colour of the build in the set’s title without good reason. My guess is - and this is purely speculation on my part, not inside info - that if this sells well, LEGO is already thinking of releasing upscaled CS astronauts in other colours. Those upscaled figures will also include their colour name in their title.
@PurpleDave said:
" @HOBBES said:
"Also, I don't like the idea of the back of the torso not being finished. I will definitely cover completely the back of the torso. When my spaceman will remove his air-tank to rest, we won't see his innards. Similarly, the tank will be completely closed up (in blue, not the rainbow crap it is now) because it looks awful now when it is removed. Besides, what good is a tank if it is not sealed properly ;-)"
Quick, nobody tell @HOBBES how the minifig-size airtanks are hollow at the bottom!"
True! Sadly, I won't be able to reproduce that ;-)
(I know it's silly, but the whole concept of grown up adults collecting little bits of worthless plastic is silly; so if you start with a silly premise, you can't expect logical and rational end results. Right?)
@Ssorg said:
"Seems like you put the right hand "fingers" in the opposite way. Space mutant. :D"
So that’s why it looks so off putting.
@KyloBen1012 said:
"day whatever of asking for a SW big fig like this, or a Giant Man in these proportions"
If they ever a large scale big-fig, I guess they should do the Rock Raiders monster. I do not follow that theme very closely but it seems there is a significant following/fan base. They would have to choose correctly because such a set would be quite sizeable and most likely come quite expensive.
SW large scale should be a no-brainer - I wonder why that they have not done it yet? There is a Bobba Fett set 75455 coming up later on. Maybe that's what it is. It's just 3 times the price of a large scale figure.
I'm rather a fan of up-scaled minifigures. There is something ironic about the fact that LEGO are making Lego models of their own minifigures...
@LegoMiniNZ said:
"I'm rather a fan of up-scaled minifigures. There is something ironic about the fact that LEGO are making Lego models of their own minifigures..."
Does LEGO jump the shark when it starts licensing itself at a premium?
I do like the overall idea of the set, I just wonder it scales next to say the 'plushes' (I have the red spaceman in that).
Also, those front-pieces (w/C.S.L.) would be really useful. The blue one could be used for MOCs of classic and neo-classic spaceship, stations, bases and so on. The red one I've had an eye out for to use in a project to begin converting the brick-bodies/brick-suits into 'hardsuits' ala the spacesuits from 'Star Trek'...course what suck is; I put in to OPAB orders recently, and for to for if 'the kid' had been added to it yet...oh well, next time.:)
With the detail of a control panel and pilot in the head does that technically make this a mech? Watch out Ninjago, you’ve got competition!
@PurpleDave said:
" @ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing."
6824 for sure. The first (small) set the blue space minfigure came in. 9 year old me was enthralled. The fig, the new wing pieces, the gray cone, the red antenna...
@Brickalili said:
"With the detail of a control panel and pilot in the head does that technically make this a mech?"
That’s how I intend to display it. I may remove the top of the head so you see the cockpit and replace the robot within with a CS minifigure. The robot can accompany the mech for fine or delicate work.
"Talking of which, it's priced the same as the first single regular retail one, 40649 Up-Scaled LEGO Minifigure. ($59.99, £54.99, €59.99), which is a pleasant surprise."
A bit silly note if we consider fact, that ALL of them got price raised 2 months ago by 10€!
It's missing blue astronaut or spacebaby in the head to be perfect :/
@Zander said:
" @Brickalili said:
"With the detail of a control panel and pilot in the head does that technically make this a mech?"
That’s how I intend to display it. I may remove the top of the head so you see the cockpit and replace the robot within with a CS minifigure. The robot can accompany the mech for fine or delicate work.
"
But do you have it team up with or fight 21109, that is the question
As someone who’s been building 6-figs for nearly 20 years, I can definitely attest to the hip joint being an iterative process! I’ve even used the old white friction gears in an early revision. The technic click hinge is an interesting idea and makes me wonder whether I could use this too?
I agree with Huw that the chin strap seems slightly odd. LEGO seem to be compromising on accuracy in favour of keeping essential details and maintaining roughly the right overall scale, which is pretty reasonable in a consumer set. I’d still love to see more brick-built faces and torsos though - I think the art of LEGO lies in the bricks, not in decals or prints. The pirate captain showed the way, so let’s have more of that please. Thanks Huw for reviewing
@Brickalili said:
"With the detail of a control panel and pilot in the head does that technically make this a mech? Watch out Ninjago, you’ve got competition!"
I’m going to say yes, if only because it gives me an in to point out that the Exo-Suit is the only one of about half a dozen mechs to be piloted by a Green spaceman, invalidating the suggestion that Green are mech pilots. They’re salvage. That’s the only part of the set and the accompanying “commercial” that isn’t seen being performed by any other colors.
@Zander:
The trick would be to turn the face into a windshield while still maintaining elements of the face.
@rslotb said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing."
6824 for sure. The first (small) set the blue space minfigure came in. 9 year old me was enthralled. The fig, the new wing pieces, the gray cone, the red antenna... "
Alright, alright, I can compromise. So we need all three then, yes?
@rslotb said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing."
6824 for sure. The first (small) set the blue space minfigure came in. 9 year old me was enthralled. The fig, the new wing pieces, the gray cone, the red antenna... "
I had both, but the XT-5 was like a special little command chair.
@jsutton said:
"As someone who’s been building 6-figs for nearly 20 years, I can definitely attest to the hip joint being an iterative process! I’ve even used the old white friction gears in an early revision. The technic click hinge is an interesting idea and makes me wonder whether I could use this too?
I agree with Huw that the chin strap seems slightly odd. LEGO seem to be compromising on accuracy in favour of keeping essential details and maintaining roughly the right overall scale, which is pretty reasonable in a consumer set. I’d still love to see more brick-built faces and torsos though - I think the art of LEGO lies in the bricks, not in decals or prints. The pirate captain showed the way, so let’s have more of that please. Thanks Huw for reviewing"
I understand why they've largely moved toward prints for the faces especially, since it's quite hard to get both the details and proportions right while maintaining the curve of the head. For torsos brick built detail is a little more feasible but I still think it ought to be used sparingly, since detail that sticks more than a plate or two off the torso can significantly affect the look when viewing it from any angle other than straight on. Personally my preference for these would be to mainly use prints and color blocking for faces and torsos (a la the Santa Claus fig) but to also emphasize accessories (both worn on the head and body and held in the hands) to help vary the builds. It would've been cool for this fig to come with a brick-built radio or scanner, for instance, to give him something to go in his hands!
I bought the original up-scaled minifig when it released, and colour-swapped/modded it into a blue classic spaceman. Kinda wish I hadn't, and had just waited to buy this one.
@brick_r said:
"I do like the overall idea of the set, I just wonder it scales next to say the 'plushes' (I have the red spaceman in that).
"
https://youtu.be/tVzhkbWadxw?si=sTzcLGBPE7I5D3kC&t=506 shows a 6x MOC next to a plushie.
@PurpleDave said:
" @rslotb said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing."
6824 for sure. The first (small) set the blue space minfigure came in. 9 year old me was enthralled. The fig, the new wing pieces, the gray cone, the red antenna... "
I had both, but the XT-5 was like a special little command chair."
If you're going to wish for a set with the Spaceman Blue... why not 6702 ?
Go big, or go home, afterall.
@Sutures said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @rslotb said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @ra226 said:
"This is gonna be great--so when are we getting the upscaled 6805 to put him in???"
Uh uh. It’s 6809, 6824, or nothing."
6824 for sure. The first (small) set the blue space minfigure came in. 9 year old me was enthralled. The fig, the new wing pieces, the gray cone, the red antenna... "
I had both, but the XT-5 was like a special little command chair."
If you're going to wish for a set with the Spaceman Blue... why not 6702 ?
Go big, or go home, afterall."
Because there's nothing for him to ride. Well, not unless he wants to try to perch awkwardly on that little robot.
@Huw me being annoying once again: what's the status on the Amazon price comparator feature?
@Spacefarer said:
" @Huw me being annoying once again: what's the status on the Amazon price comparator feature?"
Amazon.com is back up and I working on the others.
@Huw said:
" @Spacefarer said:
" @Huw me being annoying once again: what's the status on the Amazon price comparator feature?"
Amazon.com is back up and I working on the others."
Nice! That's great to hear, thank you for the effort!
The inconsistency is a bit annoying. 40819 (Up-Scaled Racing Driver Minifigure) featured a less chunky helmet chin area; why not reuse that? Displaying the two side-by-side makes one of the designs (depending on your personal preference) look off.
@Thunderbear said:
"The inconsistency is a bit annoying. 40819 (Up-Scaled Racing Driver Minifigure) featured a less chunky helmet chin area; why not reuse that? Displaying the two side-by-side makes one of the designs (depending on your personal preference) look off."
Welcome to These Are Not The Same Set. X-Wings had a fairly standard design for several years, except new parts resulted in minor tweaks each time. Same for Snowspeeders. I see two possibilities here. Either new parts became available that allowed a better helmet design, or the designer felt they could do a better job than the first set. I think there were complaints about the Octan helmet not looking accurate enough, in which case I’d prefer to see a better design at the next opportunity (plus I didn’t want the Octan megafig, and I’ll definitely be buying this). Plus, you can always modify one to match the other.
I bought instructions off of rebrickable to build an upscaled spaceman. I used these instructions to build a spaceman in red and black. A LUG friend made CS logo vinyl stickers using a cricut machine. I think the rebrickable designer nailed it. The shaping of the helmet and chin strap are more accurate than the set in my opinion.
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-161384/Bricktum/a-classic-spaceman-tribute/details
There are great instructions on rebrickable as well for a walkie talkie and vector detector.
@bmwlego said:
"I bought instructions off of rebrickable to build an upscaled spaceman. I used these instructions to build a spaceman in red and black. A LUG friend made CS logo vinyl stickers using a cricut machine. I think the rebrickable designer nailed it. The shaping of the helmet and chin strap are more accurate than the set in my opinion.
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-161384/Bricktum/a-classic-spaceman-tribute/details
There are great instructions on rebrickable as well for a walkie talkie and vector detector. "
The Rebrickable one’s chinstrap looks closer to that of the CS helmets from the ‘70s and ‘80s, while the forthcoming one’s looks like the thicker chinstrap that debuted with Benny’s Space Squad in late 2018/early 2019 and has been the CS helmet since. I reckon that LEGO made the right call in emulating the current shape.
@CCC said:
" @CDM said:
"Also day 1, also wish it had a matching minifig. Benny aside, blue is glaringly missing in the recent reissue campaign. Maybe this is a sign they're saving it for something else down the line..."
I guess it depends when you start counting the reissues, but blue was done in 2009 and again in 2012 twice. They were quite plentiful at the time especially when the presentation box got heavily discounted."
Bought a bunch of the Presentation box back then for the parts, the Blue CS minifigure is added bonus, though it's using crash helmet rather than the CS one.
Also, preordered 2 of this new set!
@bmwlego said:
"I bought instructions off of rebrickable to build an upscaled spaceman. I used these instructions to build a spaceman in red and black. A LUG friend made CS logo vinyl stickers using a cricut machine. I think the rebrickable designer nailed it. The shaping of the helmet and chin strap are more accurate than the set in my opinion.
https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-161384/Bricktum/a-classic-spaceman-tribute/details
There are great instructions on rebrickable as well for a walkie talkie and vector detector. "
Built that and the walkie talkie and Spacebaby, though no colour variations yet.
I did get the custom printed chest piece with Space logo in various colours and also extra printed face parts.
@jsutton said:
"As someone who’s been building 6-figs for nearly 20 years, ..."
You can't say something like that, and not link pictures! I'm very curious about your figs.
The head does not rotate!