Space/Sci-Fi being the Ultimate Theme?

[Skinny Boy]

Well, I think this is my first topic in this forum, so be gentle.

I've seen that literally loads of people lately have started sorting their Lego collections. I've also noticed that in order to do that, they've broken up most sets and creations. And then to build a future creation, would eventually lead to breaking and sorting itself. This got me thinking. I thought of building something so big, that it used up all (or as close to as possible) of the pieces in your collection. This then lead me to the Space forum. My main theme interests are Town and Military, so I could easily come up with the idea of a giant town and military base, but, what will I do with all those SW sets?

Seriously? To follow my main theme interests, i'd be leaving out a fair amount of my collection (a lot of which I still love) from the giant creation. So, my combination of Town/City MOCs and sets, and SW sets made Space seem like the best theme to build in. Also the fact that I have only a few colours in bulk, for buildings, streets etc.

Now then, to build, or not to build? That is the question. I mean, destroying nearly a whole collection (its only about 10-12 years worth ) to make one giant MOC, it has its ups and downs.

It would free up space all around the house (putting everything in one place),

Might destroy some great old memories OR make several new ones!,

Could be an amazing MOC (see here for my main inspiration ),

Would be so fun to make! - as i've said, Space and Mecha combines so many different themes, and allows pretty much every piece to be used: Old Historic stuff-Make a museum!, Regular Modern Day stuff-Keep it around (not everything has to be futuristic), and of course the Actual Space Stuff-Use it to your hearts content! Plus, the fact that a futuristic city could be in ruins, a war, or booming with success!

Phew, that sure tired me out. So, i'm not going to ask you all to tell me whether I should or should not destroy my collection to build this (no matter how much encouragement I get ), I'm just going to ask if you agree; Is Space the Ultimate Theme? i.e. does it allow for anyone to build, have such great flexibility, the ability to host several other themes.

Now, goodnight

[Peppermint_M]

I am debating breaking down and sorting, some MOCs have sat there for four years...

I'd say: go with what your heart tells you. Save those MOCs that give you a sense of nostalgia you don't want to lose and take apart the MOCs that once you were proud of but now wonder how much better it could look, how the greebling went too far or just how much you crave that part for a new MOC. Take plenty of photo's before deconstruction so even if you have regrets later you can enjoy it in picture form.

As for all the SF lego from Star Wars: try and make some future buildings, after all the children who saw it back in the 70s are now the architechts of today and the near future, influnced by its athsetics. Make some themed areas of the town (after all, real cities have historic areas, modern areas, culturaly influenced areas). Anything is possible.

this is the best I can come up with at 11pm and after some rum, so I may have better ideas tommorrow

[Algernon]

Space/Sci-Fi always has been and always will be my personal favorite LEGO theme/s. It allows the most imagination and creativity and it encompasses aspects of most other themes. It seems to allow the most free leg room to just sit down and do whatever you want with it.

That's the main reason why I dislike Star Wars and Town. Town is a theme I find myself respecting but staying away from, because I can't see any motivation for collecting it other than creating a Town, and that seems incredibly monotonous and dull. Star Wars, or all licensed themes for that matter, is like the anti-LEGO. Almost nothing about them condones any kind of imagination. Sure, some of the designs are good and the parts can be terrific, but why the hell would I want to play in somebody else's world? I would just watch the movies for significantly less money. The joy of LEGO, in my view, is the ability to run with whatever you want to. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good lightsaber duel as much as the next guy, but I think it's completely out of place in LEGO. I can't understand why some people worship the theme and I think it's horrible that it's been eclipsing real Space for so long. Thank god for Space Police 3!

Anyway, I love what I see people coming up with in real Space MOCing- Steam Punk, Sprocket, Military Space, Underwater Sci-Fi, etc. It's all so original and so well put together I have to say that I see the most imagination, passion, and effort in Space/Sci-Fi than any other theme. So yes, to me, it is the ultimate theme, and I'll never understand those Townies or SW heads.

[Asuka]

Is Space the Ultimate Theme?

To me it is and always was.

Of course, every theme´s wonderful, but only within SF (this time as in Speculative Fiction, an a little more encompassing term than

Science Fiction ) you can build a whole universe without any other limits than the boundaries of your very own fantasy alone.

Or to speak just with Nancy Sinatra: These bricks were made for MOCing...

[Peppermint_M]

Ok, awake and the rum wore off.

Space is one of the best themes for creativity, town isn't the most creative in terms of imagining your own fantasty world.

Don't even get me started on Star Wars (Indy is ok as I can use it to improve my Adventurers, dieselpunk and steampunk and MOCs and I like the Speed Racer sets) it is really no good for creativity on its own, I mean I buy some sets for parts to make different SF creations.

At the moment Agents. Mecha and spacecraft are my most MOCed subjects I also plan to make some more Zeerust themed.

As for the restart from zero deconstruction I stand by my earlier statement because it is my personal plan (too enact during my summer break from uni).

[SuvieD]

Technically space is the best theme in that it sits in the future where anything can happen. But there are tow reasons this thought is flawed.

First, SW itself leads you to see that a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, meaning it is in the past, while the people on earth are primative so that even in our current time advanced as we are, some where out there someone is far more advanced and it is also likely someone else begins their primitive roots.

Secondly, LEGO is a toy and as such it only requires a little imagination to find a use for even the most scifi portions of a SW set if you were going to use every bit of your LEGO at once in a giant display. A future display in a museum, advanced or prototype military craft, or even something like the Terminator series where things are sent back in time to alter the future.

Space is a good series though. I find the majority of it very violent though. Town at least has a semblance of civility whereas castle, pirates, and space would not function much outside of conflict.

[Algernon]

Technically space is the best theme in that it sits in the future where anything can happen. But there are tow reasons this thought is flawed.

First, SW itself leads you to see that a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, meaning it is in the past, while the people on earth are primative so that even in our current time advanced as we are, some where out there someone is far more advanced and it is also likely someone else begins their primitive roots.

Secondly, LEGO is a toy and as such it only requires a little imagination to find a use for even the most scifi portions of a SW set if you were going to use every bit of your LEGO at once in a giant display. A future display in a museum, advanced or prototype military craft, or even something like the Terminator series where things are sent back in time to alter the future.

Space is a good series though. I find the majority of it very violent though. Town at least has a semblance of civility whereas castle, pirates, and space would not function much outside of conflict.

I have to disagree with a few of your points. First of all, Star Wars is not Space and I wish people would stop mixing the two up. Star Wars is a licensed theme that has effectively replaced Space in recent years, but that doesn't make it the same thing. Space is a LEGO theme that contains many sub-themes and it actually has a connecting plot between many of these themes, albeit loose. Star Wars is a licensed theme and it has nothing to do with the universe that Space set up. It just follows the movies.

While you could conceivably group the two together as LEGO sci-fi themes, Space is actually it's own theme and pretty well differentiated from Star Wars.

I also have to disagree with your last point that it's held together with violence- while the sets LEGO markets are very much so, the previous point you made- which I agree with- kind of negates that fact. Since it IS a toy and it's completely driven by your imagination it's totally possible to make Space mocs that are intended for peace. I've seen it done. In fact:

Futuron, M-Tron, Classic, Exploriens; all of these themes had no antagonist, and although some of the ships do appear to be armed, there was no violence at all and they could just as easily be transmission antennae judging by the look. There was no destruction going on here at all. Granted, in the newer themes Space is very much held together by violence, but my point is it doesn't at all have to be.

I do highly agree with your second point though, that LEGO being LEGO you can make everything anything you want.

Edited April 10, 2009 by Algernon

[penguinz]

Even though I really am into LEGO city, I still think that Space/Sci-Fi is the ultimate theme. This is because of a few reasons:

1) You can make your buildings and vehicles resemble anything you want to.

2) Any type of figure can be fit into a Space diorama. (or at least just the torso)

3) You can invent things that have not been invented yet such as transforming robots, computer gadgets, etc.

4) You can have new "species" such as aliens or mutants.

[CP5670]

I agree that Space is probably the most widely encompassing theme and has the most scope for creativity. There is no set "reality" that you need to follow for MOCs to make sense, but at the same time you can incorporate designs from many other themes into it. Many types of City concepts (police stations, trains/monorails, construction vehicles, etc.) can in principle be translated into Space, and I find that Space models are also the most conducive to adding Technic functionality among any of the minifig-scale themes.

And yes, if I ever actually took apart everything I have and made a single, epic MOC, it would be more likely to be Space (or a Space/Technic hybrid, rather) than anything else.

I have to disagree with a few of your points. First of all, Star Wars is not Space and I wish people would stop mixing the two up. Star Wars is a licensed theme that has effectively replaced Space in recent years, but that doesn't make it the same thing. Space is a LEGO theme that contains many sub-themes and it actually has a connecting plot between many of these themes, albeit loose. Star Wars is a licensed theme and it has nothing to do with the universe that Space set up. It just follows the movies.

There is a bigger difference between them than just how they are marketed. The construction styles of the actual sets, specifically the color schemes, are completely different. The SW sets are designed to look like the actual stuff in the SW universe, which means that they are mostly made up of dull, gray shades and use trans-clear or trans-black windscreens on everything (in fact, some sets don't even have windows at all, just an opaque cover over the interior). The Space themes, on the other hand, all had dynamic looking colors, with their brightly colored transparent parts providing a great contrast against everything else. They didn't look realistic, but they looked good.

This is the main reason I'm not a fan of most SW sets, and actually I think this realistic style of coloring has become too widespread in space MOCs even outside of SW ones. The one good thing about Mars Mission was that it marked a return to interesting color schemes, despite all its other flaws.

Futuron, M-Tron, Classic, Exploriens; all of these themes had no antagonist

Well, there is that catalog picture of the M:Trons beating up some cowering Blacktrons with wrenches.

[Algernon]

I agree that Space is probably the most widely encompassing theme and has the most scope for creativity. There is no set "reality" that you need to follow for MOCs to make sense, but at the same time you can incorporate designs from many other themes into it. Many types of City concepts (police stations, trains/monorails, construction vehicles, etc.) can in principle be translated into Space, and I find that Space models are also the most conducive to adding Technic functionality among any of the minifig-scale themes.

And yes, if I ever actually took apart everything I have and made a single, epic MOC, it would be more likely to be Space (or a Space/Technic hybrid, rather) than anything else.

There is a bigger difference between them than just how they are marketed. The construction styles of the actual sets, specifically the color schemes, are completely different. The SW sets are designed to look like the actual stuff in the SW universe, which means that they are mostly made up of dull, gray shades and use trans-clear or trans-black windscreens on everything (in fact, some sets don't even have windows at all, just an opaque cover over the interior). The Space themes, on the other hand, all had dynamic looking colors, with their brightly colored transparent parts providing a great contrast against everything else. They didn't look realistic, but they looked good.

This is the main reason I'm not a fan of most SW sets, and actually I think this realistic style of coloring has become too widespread in space MOCs even outside of SW ones. The one good thing about Mars Mission was that it marked a return to interesting color schemes, despite all its other flaws.

Well, there is that catalog picture of the M:Trons beating up some cowering Blacktrons with wrenches.

Oh, I suppose I forgot about that one.

You're right, the colors were quite different. But I'll actually defend Mars Mission. In my opinion, the 2008 wave was actually quite good. If it's reputation hadn't been poisoned in 2007 I think it would have satisfied many Space fans.

[CP5670]

I thought the larger 2008 sets basically suffered from the same issues as the 2007 lineup, although there were a few gems among the small sets (the Mobile Mining Unit in particular was remarkably good).

[Algernon]

I thought the larger 2008 sets basically suffered from the same issues as the 2007 lineup, although there were a few gems among the small sets (the Mobile Mining Unit in particular was remarkably good).

Besides the color scheme, how? The ugly orange tubes were taken out, the aliens were updated with a much improved commander, and vehicle designs were MUCH better, particularly the Ultra-Drill Walker (which remains one of my favorite Space sets to date). Even the alien spaceships were much improved, with better designs and cool techno-color stickers.

Okay, the Hypersonic Operations Aircraft wasn't too great, but the Drill Walker and Crystal Reaper are both awesome sets, and the Infiltrator was at least decent and came with a cool MM robot. That's more than can be said for the 2007 wave, which only had one or two sets worth picking up at all... and even these weren't anything too special.

[CP5670]

Besides the color scheme, how? The ugly orange tubes were taken out, the aliens were updated with a much improved commander, and vehicle designs were MUCH better, particularly the Ultra-Drill Walker (which remains one of my favorite Space sets to date). Even the alien spaceships were much improved, with better designs and cool techno-color stickers.

Okay, the Hypersonic Operations Aircraft wasn't too great, but the Drill Walker and Crystal Reaper are both awesome sets, and the Infiltrator was at least decent and came with a cool MM robot. That's more than can be said for the 2007 wave, which only had one or two sets worth picking up at all... and even these weren't anything too special.

Yeah, I was mainly thinking about the Hypersonic aircraft, which was underwhelming especially given that it was the flagship set. The main issue I had was the lack of much interior room, which was still a problem in some of the 2008 sets. There was also an excessive use of stickers for details instead of prints, even for basic pieces like computer tiles. The two sets you mentioned were pretty good overall though, especially the Crystal Reaper which could be made motorized.

As for the colors, the human ships probably had too many distinct colors (the orange and gray were unnecessary), but the alien color scheme is actually one of my favorites among any Space theme. Both were much better than the drab colors of SW sets anyway.

[Algernon]

Yeah, I was mainly thinking about the Hypersonic aircraft, which was underwhelming especially given that it was the flagship set. The main issue I had was the lack of much interior room, which was still a problem in some of the 2008 sets. There was also an excessive use of stickers for details instead of prints, even for basic pieces like computer tiles. The two sets you mentioned were pretty good overall though, especially the Crystal Reaper which could be made motorized.

As for the colors, the human ships probably had too many distinct colors (the orange and gray were unnecessary), but the alien color scheme is actually one of my favorites among any Space theme. Both were much better than the drab colors of SW sets anyway.

Well, my opinion is always slanted by what I look for in LEGO sets, which is design. That's mostly why I love the Ultra-Drill Walker so much; the design is top notch. Yeah, the legs don't really do anything, but they look good enough for that not to matter much to me.

I also liked the Dropship from 2007, but that did suffer from the stupid orange tubes that constantly pour their contents onto the martian surface.

I just don't like orange too much as a color; I never do anything with it, and now I have so much of it. I think white and black would have worked fine for this theme... would have looked like a real NASA expedition. If LEGO played that up a little bit, thought out the aliens a little better, and dispensed with the orange tubes I think this would have been an excellent theme. Even as it is I think it has an undeserved bad rap.

As for stickers, they are the way of the future my friend. Don't blame Mars Mission, blame LEGO's cheap new policies.

[Skinny Boy]

Thanks for the replies everyone, though I wish ithadn't turned into a fight about MM I've decided to build a series of Space MOCs (after a contest has ended) and see if I enjoy the build as much as i've enjoyed thinking of the ideas in my head. All I can say is I've got some really great inspiration from 2 games, and 2 movies. Lets still hope I can make something original! Thanks!

[ProducePrincess]

Well I have to agree with everything Algernon has said.

I think space would be one of the biggest themes seeming that it branches out into so many diferent sub-themes and I find myself building more space Mocs than anything else .

One of the problems with the space sets is they're getting more violent and good guy vs bad guy oriented nad theres only so much you can do with somthing like that seeming lego guns don't actually blow up stuff. space police isn't helping this but it's still going in a better direction than early mars mission with it's foam missle launchers and creamy orange colours .

The later sets in the mars mission theme went in a much better direction with the wonderful Mobile Mining Unit ( best 12.99 i ever spent)

For me space is one of the best themes