So many transparent pieces ...

Was this one of the sets that the gift with purchase from last year with the four micro builds based off of?

I still regret not picking one up when they were less expensive. It’s such a fantastic set.

$110 in inflation-adjusted dollars, eh? OK, I can see a modern build with a similar feature set and relative heft going for about that price (see: Rexplorer). In many ways, this is a great set. It's got lots of fun play features, and the blue-and-white color scheme is a striking contrast to the previous Space sets, marking this as the first instance of Lego's four-year refresh cycle for their most popular set materials. However, it also contains the seeds of what I didn't like about Space sets as a little kid, such that I wasn't really into Lego until the first Star Wars waves. By this I mean that the shape is very cluttered and chaotic - there are all sorts of harsh angles going every which way, it's hard to put a name to each part of the ship at first glance, and it looks poorly balanced for swooshing. Those characteristics of Space sets reached their nadir in the flagships of the Exploriens, Insectoids, and UFO lines just before the advent of Star Wars. I've always liked clean, sleek lines and relatively simple shapes, as exemplified by the most iconic Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy ships, so it was somewhat of a revelation for me when I first saw pictures of the Galaxy Explorer in a book at about age eight: here was a Lego spaceship that wasn't from Star Wars that had clean, sleek lines and a simple, easy-to-draw shape! After seeing that picture, I knew I wanted to get that spaceship someday - and decades later, thanks to Internet auctions, I got it.

That digression aside, I really do think this is a pretty nice spaceship that would, as the saying goes, be a fine addition to my collection if I were ever to decide I could afford it.

The buggies in this set are almost identical to Benny's Space Squad but with the bigger balloon wheels.

I can't choose one or the other (Galaxy Explorer vs. this set). They are both amazing sets to me. Each have unique and distinguished look and functions. Love them both.

I really loved and still love this spaceship. It was my second spaceship I got, and is still my passion to get everything from classic space. As mentioned before the newer series like the UFO and Insectoids are really strange.
And as a comment, the laser infront looked unsymmetrical, but if you adjust the laser reverse they become symmetrical at the end. This point was in my opinion the weak point of the set. At that time there were so many features and I have since 1984 fun playing also with my kids with this set.

Behold my great white whale, the one that I still don't have in my Classic Space collection. I get close on occasion but I as of yet, alas it has escaped me. For now, the hunt continues . . . . .

@namekuji Yeah it's really good, but not as good as 6783: Sonar Transmitting Cruiser which is the best set ever made.

Had this as a kid and loved it. I could be thinking of a different ship, but isn't there a (now) illegal build technique in the back with that trans blue plate rammed perpendicular into the antistuds of another plate? That always gfelt wrong to me even as an eleven year-old.

I received this as a gift and 1983 and still have my copy albeit with some missing`/broken pieces as well as some with teeth mark (mine and the family dog).

Unfortunately this was one of my last sets before my dark ages.

@Anchor Thanks! My frame of reference for LEGO prices is the 90s, so it's interesting to see what older sets cost.

@Norikins You're not alone there. Plus the clutch grip was pretty variable, so they'd never all sit right at the same time.

Also... the antenna on the sides. I had real trouble getting the blue antenna to go through the holes of the white clip rings. The transparents were an older plastic type, and had a tendency to become brittle and chip/crack after too much handling.

I still love this set, though.

@Brainslugged, must be another set then? There’s no illegal building technique in the detachable space lab’s hinged roof/door. The set’s unique Trans Blue 4x8 plate ‘window’ is connected to the roof using two 2x2 classic space brackets and doesn’t interfere with any other parts of the build AFAIK?!

Great set indeed which I never got as a kid. Bought mine years later at either Bricklink or Ebay. Don’t remember... Still in great shape incl. original instr. No box though, couldn’t afford a copy including one at the time and now I’m just happy without it! Classic Space rules, it was my first love for LEGO and it ignited my collecting DNA, haha.

This invokes a lot of memories playing with my brother. I had the Galaxy Explorer and he had this set. Both were (still are) nice builds.

I was always puzzled by the design of that ship which was quite a departure from the previous more "traditional" classic spaceships.
But I do like the colour scheme - I think those were the colours the original designers wanted to work with from the start, but as they weren't available, they settled for grey/blue and trans yellow instead :)

@Bengh_Zeran - Thanks for the clarification. I could have sworn there was a classic space set with what I've described. I can't find anything like that though (having just looked through the database). Maybe it was just having the antistuds of than trans plate on display that I found so objectionable.

While it's a shame we haven't gotten an actual Space theme in a while, the Space subtheme of City this year is looking fantastic!

I’m excited about the new City Space theme too. But check out LEGO Ideas: there’s quite a few Classic Space inspired projects there. Maybe one of them will make it through?
(Full disclosure: I have one too ;)

@captain mutant funny you should mention the colors--i love this design, but would like to see it in the original classic color scheme (trans yellow, gray, blue). guess that can be another project for which to make a nice bricklink order list one day . . . .

Dang, huwbot is buttering us up for the clickits apocalypse. It is no good we are all doomed.

Nice, loves me some Classic Space! Hey Lego, bring back Legends and re-release something like this!

Got this for christmas as a child, and still own it. Wonderful memories playing for hours on the living room floor (Goland Spelac was the planet!). I think I have another one and the box somewhere too. I consider myself very lucky to have been a child in the golden age of lego space!

^ Goland Spelac is acronym of "Legoland Space" in case anyone reading this wonders.

^ I think you meant an anagram.

I love this set - an outstanding piece in a classic line.

Sigh, I miss Classic Space.

It is nice to see another classic space set. Definitely an area long forgotten by the creators at LEGO. Most of my classic space sets are from the original first two years, so this one would have never made it to my collection. I guess I live my Galaxy Explorer (497) just to much. However, Benny's Spaceship from the LEGO movie certainly was a teaser, and I had to have it.