Review: 76832 XL-15 Spaceship
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO takes frequent inspiration from animated movies and resultant sets consistently prioritise younger builders, unsurprisingly! The same was envisaged for Lightyear. 76832 XL-15 Spaceship defies expectation though, featuring wonderful building techniques and detail.
This model appears remarkably impressive and appears more focused upon display than normal, among Pixar sets. The spacecraft therefore includes a display stand and some appealing minifigures accompany this amazing model too.
Summary
76832 XL-15 Spaceship, 497 pieces.
£44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 | 9.1p/10.1c/10.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The sleek XL-15 Spacecraft looks stunning, potentially interesting any space enthusiast!
- Spectacular spacecraft
- Detailed inside and outside
- Clever construction techniques
- Great minifigure selection
- Somewhat inaccurate
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Lightyear presents the inspiration for the Buzz Lightyear action figure from Toy Story, hence this minifigure wears a less ostentatious suit than the versions in other sets and that eventual action figure. Instead, this orange attire appears reminiscent of contemporary astronauts, albeit featuring a large shoulder armour component that displays the Star Command symbol.
Buzz's detailed torso and legs are splendid, although this costume has not appeared in either trailer for the movie. Nevertheless, I like the orange and light bluish grey colour scheme, while the helmet returns from City, but suits this minifigure. The medium blue head underneath looks more recognisable with Buzz Lightyear's normal appearance. The printed skin tone does differ from the desired colour, albeit subtly.
An entirely separate head and hair element are also included. This hairstyle lacks accuracy to the onscreen character, but I am pleased to see the tousled piece in dark brown. The head, by contrast, looks great. The dimple on Buzz's chin is probably his most distinguishing feature and both smiles encapsulate his confidence.
Several accessories are provided, including a white laser blaster and a printed fuel cell, which displays an energy crystal on both sides, as though the crystal is actually inside this 1x1 brick. The same crystal appears on Buzz's stickered laptop screen, while the fuel cell integrates the popular accessory holder piece in dark bluish grey!
Sox also appears in 76831 Zurg Battle and looks adorable. Buzz's robotic companion makes good use of the standard cat element, moulded in flame yellowish orange and including Sox's identifying collar. The eyes should have been substantially larger when compared with the film, but this design seems more versatile.
Two other members of Star Command accompany Buzz and Sox, starting with Darby Steel. Her industrial armour looks absolutely fantastic and I love this sinister helmet, which displays tiny red eyes and somewhat dehumanises the characters. The dark green chest and shoulder armour is effective too, borrowed from Star Wars, but featuring exclusive decoration.
Mo Morrison wears the same helmet and dark tan suit, completely covered with pouches and featuring flame yellowish orange highlights on the legs. The onscreen character seems to wear sand blue armour instead, although his shoulder armour is sand blue. The realistic scratches on this component look excellent and I love the coloured stripes on both characters' shoulders.
Both minifigures are equipped with accurate weapons, as Darby carries her 'Mr. Boom' rocket launcher and Mo includes a yellow harpoon launcher. Hair elements are also provided and the unique heads look great. Darby features smiling and angry expressions, while Mo is perpetually happy and lacks an alternative face, unfortunately.
Reference
Source - Lightyear Teaser Trailer
The Completed Model
Buzz Lightyear's XL-15 spacecraft looks absolutely stunning! This angular design is unusual among modern LEGO vehicles and seems diametrically opposed to the bulbous curvature of 7593 Buzz's Star Command Spaceship. Instead, the model has attracted comparison with the famous Viper space superiority fighter from Battlestar Galactica, possessing a similar shape.
The spacecraft connects to a Technic display stand, presenting the model as though banking during flight. The angle looks marvellous and black was definitely the most appropriate colour, contrasting against the vehicle. Furthermore, I am impressed with how few elements comprise the stand, which takes advantage of its spindly Technic construction.
Despite appearing spindly, the display stand provides ample support and is securely attached using a Technic axle that slots into the underside of Buzz's vehicle. The accompanying plaque looks lovely, emblazoned with the Star Command emblem. However, the weight distribution on the stand is noticeably imperfect, hence the spacecraft tends to tilt forwards slightly.
Without the display stand, the XL-15 rests on the underside of its fuselage and the tips of the wings, lacking any landing gear. Nevertheless, the design remains impressive and this vessel measures nearly 27cm in length, which seems reasonable beside minifigures. Additionally, the size feels suitably tactile and bulky for play.
The streamlined shape of this spacecraft is beautiful, gradually narrowing and making perfect use of layered wedge plates towards the front. The white and dark azure colour scheme looks nice and I think the trans-yellow canopy complements those attractive colours, particularly with black, red and grey accents scattered across the vessel.
Trans-yellow cockpit canopies consistently attract attention from Classic Space fans and this 10x4x2 canopy also recalls the classic 10x4x2 1/3 canopy which regularly appeared between 1989 and 2002. The new component seems sleeker than its predecessor and the trans-yellow colour denotes a polarising filter, shown during trailers as the vehicle slingshots around a star.
The XL-15 was evidently created for a single occupant and comfortably accommodates Buzz Lightyear, even wearing his bulky armour. There is also room for Sox to stand behind the pilot and you can almost seat a second minifigure here, but the roof is slightly too low. Even so, the internal space is ample.
Various controls are also included. Stickers form small consoles beside an articulated control yoke, while the navigation display in the middle is printed. That was a pleasant surprise and corresponds with the source material. Moreover, the 1x2 plate with click hinge represents a frame for the heads-up display system, again reflecting the onscreen spacecraft.
However, the external shape is surprisingly inaccurate, relative to the film. This seems notably apparent around the wings, which should be considerably narrower and not extend behind the engine nacelles. While fidelity to the original vehicle is very important, I think the current shape looks superb and the markings appear absolutely perfect.
Stickers form hazard stripes and the Star Command symbol on both sings, beside the XL-15 identification code. The trans-red and trans-green navigation lights are pleasing and I like the angled engines, which are ingeniously attached to the fuselage and the wings. Clever internal geometry matches the anhedral wing shape. Ideally, the fins on top would be similarly angled, but the bodywork design was wisely prioritised instead.
The rear section, housing the engines, varies dramatically from the smooth bodywork around the cockpit and wings. They prize function over appearance and feature splendid texture, with differentials depicting complex manoeuvring flaps inside each engine! These pieces are nearly unrecognisable here, so provide an unmistakable signal of tremendous design.
Furthermore, the small area between the engines opens to reveal two storage compartments. The lower compartment is intended for the crystallic fusion fuel cell, while the laptop and laser gun can be stored above. Trans-yellow highlights are found inside and various matching plates decorate the exterior, hidden among the engines and coordinated with the cockpit canopy.
Overall
76832 XL-15 Spaceship reminds me of the amazing 76193 The Guardians' Ship, since these sets share numerous qualities. Both models include detail comparable with Ultimate Collector Series sets, without entailing the same gigantic scale. The aerodynamic design looks fantastic and the interior contains satisfying detail, exceeding my expectations.
Certain inaccurate features are inescapable and must be acknowledged, although these hardly detract from the design, in my opinion. The minifigures are enjoyable as well, while the price of £44.99, $49.99 or €49.99 feels reasonable. The XL-15 can definitely be considered among the best LEGO spaceships, just as Lightyear director and AFOL, Angus MacLane, intended!
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70 comments on this article
I thought Mo had a welding tool.
Looking forward to this set, and of course, the movie! Great review! Thanks!
the costume is kiiiiinda in the trailer, which might be an editing mistake. Buzz is shown approaching and entering the spaceship wearing grey but while flying, his arms and a part of his chest appear orange so maybe different parts of the film edited together or Lego were issued an earlier draft that is being removed. We'll have to see.
Great-looking set. Puts me in mind of the ships from R-Type.
The minifig just doesn't look like Buzz Lightyear. With the face and the hair, he just looks like some generic City figure.
I really like that Lego is making sets such as this and 76188 that are good display models but don't break the bank. Its nice because they have the aesthetics of a UCS set, but not the immense cost and scale.
Love Buzz Lightyear and can't wait to pick this one up. Fantastic design, great value for money too, and doesn't take up a ton of space to display.
This looks like it will not be out of place in my SW dioramas.
No interest in Lightyear whatsoever but this looks like a great set. Super swooshable and some really nice minifig design there (excepting that slightly blotchy printing on Mo's face). Will have to pick this up!
I was reading this review waiting for the mention of Angus intentially making a trans yellow canopied spaceship and see Huw cleverly imbedded the link in the very last line. For those who missed it, the trans yellow canopy was intentional :)
https://twitter.com/AngusMacLane/status/1508431010148413444
The ship reminds me of Battlestar Galactica, which I had hoped for years Lego would make. Good substitute. I will definitely be displaying this one!
The ship looks just
stellar.
This set is incredibly well-designed, highly swooshable yet impecably displayable. Great minifigs and value.
I imagine it could win this year's Brickset award for its price range. Maybe even best set. I loved building this, especially the ingenious shaping of the thrusters.
I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie), but this sure brings back classic space vibes for me, and I might have to pick it up for that reason.
Glad I passed on the Mandalorian Forge, this seems like the place to get my cool armor fix! Not to mention the great design and interesting parts. Will buy!
Buzz Lightyear IS the orange Classic Space person and his ship IS the old 6872 Lunar Patrol Craft from 1985 reborn, Change My View. This set might be a day one buy for me.
@bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie) "
It’s not a remake.
I found three copies of this at Meijer over a week ago, and when I scanned it at checkout, the register told the checkout clerk to take it away from me because street date is the 24th.
This is such a cool looking set, best looking one that I've seen in a long time.
I think the set is cool (enough) for what it is. The LEGO fanboy in me always wishes for new elements to be designed and molded when new characters and costumes are debuted, and I think I’ll always wonder why that doesn’t happen more often considering how much cash LEGO makes in a year. Maybe wonder is a bad term. Money drives decisions, and I get that.
Like I said, the fanboy in me…
But about that ship. It may be getting some chatter that it is reminiscent of a Viper, but you won’t hear that comparison from yours truly. (Now the BSG fanboy takes over…LOL) It looks like a Viper as much as an X-Wing looks like a Viper. Which is to say that it features a small amount of visual similarities that many starfighters have with fighter jets, which they are often based on.
Rex’s reviews are always awesomely heady. This sentence was the highlight for me in this one: “Clever internal geometry matches the anhedral wing shape.” I had to seek the definition, I like that.
Love the ship, simple yet effective. Won't watch the movie, but may grab this
Hopefully LEGO uses this cockpit window more often, it's the closest shape to the old times of 80s/90s LEGO Space/Aquazone.
Example :
6886: Galactic Peace Keeper
6923: Particle Ioniser
@bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie), but this sure brings back classic space vibes for me, and I might have to pick it up for that reason. "
Andy picked up a Buzz Lightyear figure after watching this exact movie, so...
@LegoSonicBoy said:
" @bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie), but this sure brings back classic space vibes for me, and I might have to pick it up for that reason. "
Andy picked up a Buzz Lightyear figure after watching this exact movie, so..."
Which just sets toy story in a different universe where this film came out years ok.
In this world, its a new film ;)
This set looks awesome. And I particularly like the suits/armor of those guys... could be interesting to grab them all just to do some army building.
Sees yellow windshield on picture on his phone: Classic Space???
It's Buzz Lightyear!
Also cool!
Thanks for the great review!
@chrisaw said:
" @bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie) "
It’s not a remake. "
"Reboot"
"Spin off"
Who cares?
Overall it looks really neat and even with no interest in the IP, I will pick up the set. Figures look great. Set looks great.
@CapnRex101:
Monday, I spotted some non-LEGO toys from this movie, which included a Zurg ship. On the back, it showed _four_ Star Command spacecraft, three of which looked similar to this. It’s possible this is accurate to something that hasn’t appeared in the trailers yet, and you’re comparing this to a different spacecraft. I may try to swing by that store again and take a photo, so I can see what the SC model numbers are. And I’ll be silently grumbling about the fact that we didn’t get at least alternate instructions for the other three SC ships, and a set based on that Zurg craft.
@cofaigh:
All’s fair in love and editing of trailers. They are under no obligation to maintain continuity of shots when putting together trailers. Some spoil the entire movie, and others can actually present a deliberately false impression of exactly what type of movie you’re about to watch.
@PurpleDave:
While unofficial, my favorite has got to be the one that presented Deadpool as a romance/drama movie.
This would have been nine year old me’s favourite thing ever, I used to use the blue postboxes in classic space as receptacles for “energy blocks” which powered my spaceships, It’s like they have turned the clock back for me with the fusion crystal, day one purchase then maybe another later to mod.
This review just took my excitement over these sets (and the film) and pushed it to infinity... and beyond!
(I can't believe I'm the first to say that in the comments section...)
It still seems odd to me that brickset reviews often don't include any pictures of the set part built. This would be a prime example, its not a small set, with almost 500 parts that are mainly used to make a single build. The database has good pictures of the complete set already from a few angles, given the "wonderful building techniques" it would be nice see them more clearly and the way the build comes together. As alway the written review is great but for me the pictures although well taken don't add much I didn't already know. Surely the purpose of a review is to add more detail than can be found from just looking at the box in a store.
I wish reviews of sets based on real world objects or things found on screen would include at least one reference photo of the thing the set is based on. One of the cons is "somewhat inaccurate", but there's no accurate source for us to compare it to unless we leave this site and do some searching around on our own. Please save us the trouble in future reviews. (Including a photo of the original subject would absolutely be fair use in terms of copyright...at least in the United States.)
The new windscreen is actually pretty inaccurate. It's very flat and angular while the real one is more of an elongated curve. The color of the real one has a more orange/gold tinge in flight and is trans clear when landed. Real one also has a black support frame.
I'm not saying this to be contrary. I'm trying to point out how far Lego went out of their way for the Classic Space fans. I think the review should've called attention to this.
Looks nice! Personally I would have skipped the stand and given it retractable landing gear, though.
Apparently the movie director is an AFOL, and made the windshield yellow in order to get another Classic Space style windscreen in that colour!
@PurpleDave said:
"I found three copies of this at Meijer over a week ago, and when I scanned it at checkout, the register told the checkout clerk to take it away from me because street date is the 24th."
Did you shake your fist and shout: Lego!!! ?
Joke aside, hope you get another one soon.
@bdc101 said:
" @chrisaw said:
" @bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie) "
It’s not a remake. "
"Reboot"
"Spin off"
Who cares? "
Maybe you’re looking for “prequel”? To answer your question, I know some kids and at least one adult (not me) who are very excited for movie.
This set looks incredible! Thanks for the review. I can’t wait to pick it up.
@PDelahanty said:
"I wish reviews of sets based on real world objects or things found on screen would include at least one reference photo of the thing the set is based on. One of the cons is "somewhat inaccurate", but there's no accurate source for us to compare it to unless we leave this site and do some searching around on our own. Please save us the trouble in future reviews. (Including a photo of the original subject would absolutely be fair use in terms of copyright...at least in the United States.)"
Fair point. Suitable images are not always available, but I have added one to this review. Thanks for the reminder!
Got all three to the register and the system told them to take all of them back.
@CapnRex101:
I found more of the Mattel toys, so I think I see what you’re talking about. Trailing edge of each wing should connect mid-cowling, rather than extending behind it. Anyways, the various ships include the XL-01 (similar design with swept-back wings & four engines), the XL-15 (this one), the XL-02 (similar front, two huge engines, and a notched rear), the XL-07 (split nose with two wide engines), the Zurg ship (dark-purple & black, stocky with gull-like wings and several fins), a pair of dark-purple Zurg drop pods for the Zyclops, and The Armadillo (a brown brick with an extended cockpit that has teeth deco like a WWII fighter). I may try to collect these, too, as they have a similar vibe to Galoob’s SW Action Fleet.
@LegoSonicBoy:
There are some bizarre redband trailers and a few PSAs on the DVDs.
@PeeDeeZee:
On the Mattel toy, it looks slightly curved on top over the length, with a more curved bottom edge, and a very round shape when viewed from the front. This looks like something they plan to be able to reuse later on, where an exact replica would require one exclusive piece for the canopy, and an exclusive mating hull section to nest it in, like that horrid Alpha Team bubble canopy. I’m cool with this, but you’re not wrong.
@Feroz:
No, but I’ll keep trying as I find them. I even had to explain to some of the clerks why it was giving them that message.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @PDelahanty said:
"I wish reviews of sets based on real world objects or things found on screen would include at least one reference photo of the thing the set is based on. One of the cons is "somewhat inaccurate", but there's no accurate source for us to compare it to unless we leave this site and do some searching around on our own. Please save us the trouble in future reviews. (Including a photo of the original subject would absolutely be fair use in terms of copyright...at least in the United States.)"
Fair point. Suitable images are not always available, but I have added one to this review. Thanks for the reminder!"
Wow…at least from that angle…it’ll be interesting to see the MOCs evolve…
@PurpleDave said:
" @CapnRex101 :
I found more of the Mattel toys, so I think I see what you’re talking about. Trailing edge of each wing should connect mid-cowling, rather than extending behind it. Anyways, the various ships include the XL-01 (similar design with swept-back wings & four engines), the XL-15 (this one), the XL-02 (similar front, two huge engines, and a notched rear), the XL-07 (split nose with two wide engines), the Zurg ship (dark-purple & black, stocky with gull-like wings and several fins), a pair of dark-purple Zurg drop pods for the Zyclops, and The Armadillo (a brown brick with an extended cockpit that has teeth deco like a WWII fighter). I may try to collect these, too, as they have a similar vibe to Galoob’s SW Action Fleet."
I wonder whether the animated design was updated because the inaccuracies here feel like deliberate design decisions. This model could certainly have captured the wing shape more accurately, if the designer had wished or seen the finalised spacecraft.
It feels like the director may be passionate about Lego but not so much about Buzz Lightyear, but then again, who is? The idea of the Lightyear film is inherently meta: it's a tie-in to Toy Story that dichotomizes one iteration of Buzz Lightyear, action figure, with Buzz Lightyear, the character inspiring that action figure in the world of Toy Story. The kids who grew up with Toy Story have kids of their own now and this is the hook to expand the franchise.
Those brown helmets look like villain helmets: they remind me a bit of Metroid: Other M, which is not necessarily a compliment but may well be a deliberate stylistic depiction of disposable cannon-fodder grunts in sci-fi.
Success!…ish. I found $6 Hot Wheels replicas of the XL-01, XL-15, and Zurg Fighter, and Target let me buy all three.
@CapnRex101:
I stand by my theory on the cockpit. New elements have to be handed off to a team whose goals include making them as reusable as possible, so I can totally see the canopy being made more generic so it can be retained for future use.
The wings may have been broadened to make room for the graphics. How do you trim up the trailing edge but leave enough room for the “15” and logo? The 45° edge uses the only angled tiles, but still leaves room for the 4x4 plate/tile. The only other option is wedge plates, which would crowd out the 4x4 used for the number/logo, and introduce more studs that would make it difficult to find another solution. This may have also been a design concession, this time to more critical deco. The wingtip navigation lights appear to be a cheat to get the angled shape in there, keep the wings sturdy, and still make some sort of sense (or it could be a tip of the hat to Toy Story Buzz’ wingtips).
One thing’s for sure, which is the more I look at the four XL craft, the more of a Thunderbirds vibe I’m getting. So far, only the Zyclops’ drop pods look like they’ll be a class of vehicle rather than a one-off design like Vader’s TIE. Make that two things. I will be irritated if they don’t make sets based on more of these ships, in particular the Zurg Fighter and the XL-02.
@CopperTablet:
I’m calling that these minifigs spoil a jump-scare early in the film, where Buzz is checking out some hostile-looking terrain and bumps into these menacing characters, only to reveal they’re coworkers.
@PurpleDave: The Base Utility Vehicle from the Mattel toy line is light gray with red wheels. That's totally a neo-Classic Space rover. I want it in Lego yesterday.
Damn. Though for a second this was the XL5, complete with Steve Zodiac at the controls. Excitement dashed. Maybe one day...
@iwybs:
The what now? I have not seen any ground vehicles. Then again, I didn’t know the Armadillo existed until I saw it. The back-of-box list only shows the four XL craft and the Zyclops pods, so I wouldn’t have known about the Zurg Fighter except that it’s the first vehicle I found.
^ https://shop.mattel.com/products/disney-pixar-lightyear-base-utility-vehicle-hhj91
@CCC said:
" @PDelahanty said:
"I wish reviews of sets based on real world objects or things found on screen would include at least one reference photo of the thing the set is based on.)"
There is an image taken from the trailer. "
There wasn't when I posted my comment.
Thank you for adding that, CapnRex101!
@iwybs: I want that in brick too. And not just for the Classic Space vibe, it's just a cool-looking vehicle.
Now that I have seen the XL-01, XL-02, XL-07 and XL-15, I am starting to believe that this was a missed opportunity to put a few more pieces into the box and have and 4-in-1 model where you could reconstruct any of the four iterations. Not sure if Lego had enough forward information for that but clearly Mattel was able to produce all 4 vehicles. Still like the set and will eventually get it but a missed opportunity nonetheless.
@ iwybs:
I ended up running across that very site. Seems there’s not a lot of coverage of these toys yet. I was kinda hoping to see something that looked more “model” and less “toy”, but this is the most realistic version of that vehicle it seems.
@HOBBES:
Right? And while it’s always possible to MOC them, you’d need the numbers to complete the look. Mattel has some action figures in the 4-6” range, of which all I’ve seen are “Space Ranger” Buzz (looks like the Toy Story character) and XL-01 Buzz (grey jumpsuit with a fishbowl helmet). While I’d prefer XL-02, XL-01 seems more likely as a follow-up set. I was hoping they might do the Zurg Fighter, but then I realized 76831 would probably need to fit in the cockpit.
@PurpleDave
The Zurg ship would indeed be a very nice addition. To keep this to a reasonable size, they would have to make a 'minifig Zurg' (I'm sure there would be many takers even if the size would be completely off scale ). Such a ship would be the 'ultimate' lavender part pack! I'm up for it if they decide to produce it.
Looks like a Mark 7 Viper, to be precise.
@bdc101 said:
"I couldn't care less about another goofy remake (definitely won't waste my money on the movie), but this sure brings back classic space vibes for me, and I might have to pick it up for that reason. "
Same here. I don't give a smeg about another dime-a-dozen Disney cash grab movie, and those minifigs will go straight to the parts bin, but this ship is the most Classic Space like we got in years - outside of the two ships associated with Benny of course.
That new trans-yellow canopy alone opens up so many possibilities. Absolutely great.
Looks like a variant of the ship on the Benny version of THE LEGO MOVIE poster.
@AustinPowers:
It’s not a “dime-a-dozen” movie, it’s not a Disney movie, and it’s not a “cash-grab” movie. It’s a Pixar movie, and Pixar is the most respected American animation studio right now. Disney just distributes it. One of the deciding factors in Pixar letting Disney buy them when their original distribution deal was up was that if they walked away from Disney, Disney would own the IP for every movie Pixar had released up to that point, and there was a real concern that they would have released a dozen sub-par, direct-to-video, Toy Story sequels by now.
@PurpleDave : last I knew, Pixar was owned by Disney 100%, so it is indeed a Disney movie. Plus, to me, almost the entire modern output of Disney and/or Pixar movies is indeed dime-a-dozen quality. That's only my personal opinion of course and I don't mind if yours varies.
The last of their movies I wholeheartedly enjoyed was Finding Dory. Everything since just didn't resonate with me anymore.
And the glorious days of classic Disney Animation to me are long gone anyway.
Again, this is only my personal opinion and feelings about the subject. Ymmv.
More important for me is the set, which imho is absolutely awesome.
@AustinPowers:
Last I knew, Pixar doesn’t have someone from Disney hovering over their shoulder, controlling their creative choices. It’s not like Touchstone, where Disney would finance and produce a bunch of films in-house, and just slap the Touchstone name on anything they felt was too mature to be associated with the Disney name. A “Disney film” is anything produced by Walt Disney Studios (live action) or Walt Disney Animation Studios. If it’s produced by Pixar, it’s referred to as either Pixar or Disney/Pixar. They also need own Lucasfilm, Fox, and Marvel, but you probably don’t count those as being strictly Disney films, do you?
@PurpleDave : actually I do see all the output of those formerly independent companies as Disney output now. And I absolutely hate it. The "quality" of their output under Disney just reinforces my opinion. Plus the fact that stuff from those companies that was formerly available via Netflix, Prime etc. but has now been pulled and is only available from Disney+ (which needless to say I will NEVER subscribe to) just sours it even more for me.
I hate the Disney Corporation guts, just like I hate all corporate behemoths that are uncontrollably large and have way too much power and influence. It just breeds greed (see LEGO prices), power abuse, corruption and all kinds of other malice.
As a fan of the Toy Story franchise from opening day back in 1995, I'm excited to get this ship even though I know nothing about it other than what we see in the trailer. Even if it weren't a Toy Story branded set, this model is really quite nice. Lots of Classic Space minifigures are going to take a ride in it. I definitely plan to get this.
@TeriXeri said:
"Hopefully LEGO uses this cockpit window more often, it's the closest shape to the old times of 80s/90s LEGO Space/Aquazone.
Example :
6886: Galactic Peace Keeper
6923: Particle Ioniser
"
Also noticed that, I'd bet we'll see it in Ninjago and/or Monkie Kid by the end of the year. It is an excellent canopy that fills a gap even with some recent Nexo Knights designs coming close to the old version.
@AustinPowers:
I mean, you won’t get any disagreement from me on D-. The only streaming service I have is HBO Max, which I got free with my HBO subscription. I don’t hold out any hope that they’ll ever just let me buy the final season of Clone Wars, or any other content that was created specifically for streaming, as renting content seems to be their new “vault” scheme.
That said, Pixar is different. They could have cranked out ten times as many sequels as they have at this point, but they’re a company that’s willing to pull the plug on a movie that doesn’t feel right, and won’t even get started if they don’t think they have a story worth telling. There’s a reason Pixar is the only studio I collect.
Finding Nemo is, in my opinion, their best film (even though it’s not my favorite Pixar film), and perhaps as a result I didn’t feel that Finding Dory was on the same level. Good, but not equal. Since then, Cars 3 was certainly a rare miss, but I liked Onward at least as much as Dory, Coco a bit less (but it’s still good), and Toy Story 4 may have replaced TS2 as my favorite of that series. Incredibles 2 was a bit of a disappointment, again because the first happens to be my favorite Pixar film of all time. I own, but have not watched, Soul or Luca, nor have I seen Turning Red, since none of those released to theaters (and right after a Toy Story marathon let me catch the only Pixar film I’d never seen on the big screen before).
Now, if you refuse to get Disney’s streaming service, there are only five films you could have watched since Finding Dory came out, unless you watched the first two pandemic releases on home video. If you didn’t enjoy any of those, I guess it’s not surprising that modern Disney animation doesn’t do anything for you, since from Tangled on, Disney animation has shifted to be a lot more like Pixar. That makes sense, since Tangled was technically the first film launched under Lasseter’s term (having been cancelled shortly before Disney bought Pixar). The previous three films released during Lasseter’s term would have been well on their way by the time he showed up, and extensive overhauls of their plots would have pushed the entire production schedule back several years.
@PurpleDave: I agree with you on many points. My main problem with the latest Pixar as well as Disney movies is that the whole subject matters and the content of the trailers just didn't appeal to me any longer. And of the ones I actually watched in the cinema or elsewhere (the latest was Disney's Encanto, before that was Pixar's Soul, which I saw at a friend who has Disney+), while those definitely weren't bad films per se, they just didn't resonate with me in the same way as those in the past did. My favorite Pixar movies are Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Cars, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, and the original Toy Story. While my favorite Disney movies hail from a totally different time (Jungle Book, Aristocats, Snow White, Basil, Lion King).
Perhaps - due to many outside factors - I've simply become a bitter old cynic who doesn't fit into these times anymore. :-(
@AustinPowers:
Really, the only Pixar films I didn’t like were The Good Dinosaur, Cars 3, and the back half of Wall-E. Top favorites, though, would be Incredibles 1, Toy Story 2&4, Finding Nemo, and Brave. For Disney animation, probably The Lion King, Tangled, and Frozen 1.
I like this set.
Great review, per usual.
I like the NatGeo nature shows on Disney+. Glad they rescued NatGeo from disgusting Fox.
Yay! Finally a new Galaxy Squad set!
Whaddaya mean it's not Galaxy Squad?!?!?!?
Accurate or not, that is one awesome spaceship. There were moments building the cowlings that reminded me, appropriately, of how I put eyes in my Pixar Cars cars, and it was interesting to see how the bend in the wing could be layered up so high. The few minor complaints I have are that the exposed brackets on the engines feel unfinished, the aft bit of the engines are free-spinning (I did what I could by pressing the gear in with the flanged axle from the top of the stand), and that the instructions don’t show where to put things. I concluded that the energy crystal goes in the lower hold, since you could add the one from the Zurg Battle set, and that the laptop goes up top because there’s a 2x3 pit. A picture on the back of the box confirmed my theory, but it should have been in the instructions. I tossed the gun on top of the laptop, because it fits, and mounted Spot behind Buzz as this review suggested, but kids might not figure all of that out on their own.
Anyways, building up the wing structure, I’m further convinced that accuracy was intentionally sacrificed to allow the use of certain 45° elements, in particular the big triangular plate that forms the core of each wing. Really hoping to see sets based on some of the other spacecraft next.
@WakeLaw said:
"The ship reminds me of Battlestar Galactica, which I had hoped for years Lego would make. Good substitute. I will definitely be displaying this one!"
Exactly what I thought ! Bit inaccurate to Lightyear movie and the stickers at this price is an abomination...Lego makes a joke of themselves with their ''only the best is good enough'' ;)
Need to buy two more of these and try and make alternative build that is more accurate to the movie, can't also wait for other people's creations!