Benny's Classic Space models - spaceships, robots, and buildings!

[Murdoch17]

(When the base and any other digital creations are built in real life, I will add those pictures into this page.)

This is the beginning of a journey through the wormhole to a mini-figure called Benny and a civilization on the cusp of greatness. His continuing mission: to seek out new lifeforms, to explore unknown worlds, all in the name of of science and awesomeness. The year is 1980-something, the name of the theme is Classic Space.

Classic Space fortress walls

The base as it was ordered... will post a picture of the complete setup when built in real life.

This new, larger base swing-open door will replace the older sliding ones currently used, which were based on set 75919 (Indominus Rex Breakout) from 2015’s Jurassic World. This new design is based on set 7709 (Sentai Fortress) from 2006’s Exo Force. They have in-built RC train tracks, which can be changed over to 9V tracks quite easily.

They are the same size as the old doors in wall length (two modules long), and will slip right in where the older ones were quite easily. They also allow for taller cargo trains to go through the doors easier, as before there was a height restriction.

This is one of twelve walls sections, held together with the other modules by four Technic pins.(two on each side)

This is one of four of the corner modules. I redesigned these since last time to be less parts intensive and have fewer gaps in the wall.

Astro Bot Recharge / Repair bay

The inspiration behind this large robot-recharge port model is mainly inspired by the mech repair bay from 2006 set 7709. (Sentai Fortress) from Exo Force.

I can attach the robot to a small mound behind each foot, where it holds it there by two studs per heel. The dark gray thin sidewall pieces located on three sides of the foot make sure Astro Bot 33 won't wiggle side-to-side and disengage from his charge port prematurely.

The wall supports the mech repair bay and also gives me another two brand-new wall sections (in length) in for the base to play with at the same time!

Classic Space HQ / Benny's skyscraper - 76038 MOD

This building was inspired by my brother's take on set 6398, Central Precinct HQ. He added a back staircase module (which I have removed in favor of an older 2015 Avengers tower-inspired model / MOC I made a couple weeks back), while I removed the prison cell and changed the color scheme from white and black to blue and white with trans-yellow glass. The windows and doors were also modernized, and the large spinning sensor array added to the roof. I've also added connectors to the main base walls, which means the building is fully integrated into my Classic Space base. As previously stated, the rear was inspired by set 76038, Attack on Avengers Tower, from the Age of Ultron movie. This ultimately meant that the 1990's-style model's floors had to be stretched upwards by two bricks each in height to match the newer model's floor-plan.

I really like the sleek wraparound window on the top floor of the building, as it is where personal Benny's office is. He gets to look out on the space base, and marvel at how things have changed since his creation in 1984.

The right side wall opens up to reveal the inside of the building. Ground floor is official meeting space, second and third floors are for monitoring the radio telescope and other such devices across the galaxy. Fourth floor is the break room, while the fifth floor is Benny's personal office. (Note: On the outdoor patio on floor three is the monument to Jens Nygaard, the gone-but-not-forgotten creator of Classic Space.)

The rear tower folds open for access too, and like the side wall, locks shut on a Technic pin. Here you can also see Benny's desk.

Lunar Crater Crawler vehicle

This model is based off 60192 (Arctic Ice Crawler) from the 2018 CITY Arctic theme, this MOD is called the Lunar Crater Crawler and moves boulders with it's larger gripping claw tool.

It can seat one fully-suited astronaut figure. It also has printed controls in front of the space seat. Floodlights sit on the sides of the craft, allowing you to see on the dark side of the moon, while there is a clip for a handheld radio should you need to contact the command base.

The rear should feature the Classic Space logo on a 4x2 slope, while a bumblebee stripe printed 1 x 2 tile goes above the logo. This printed pieces will be applied in real life once it's built. 

Classic 1950's Moonraker automobile

Inspired by this recent @hachiroku build here, I have completed this new early 1950's car for Benny, who seems pretty happy with it.

Looks pretty classy, right? The two doors open, but the obligatory black space seat is missing, because any more height and Benny would not fit inside.

The rear has a license plate, the classic space logo, and two coverings partially obscuring the rear wheels.

The roof is held on by four studs, and is as such removable. As a courtesy to the driver instead of the space seat, I have included a light bluish gray upholstery for the back of the seat.

Classic 1980's Security Forces Jeep (x2)

This model was heavily inspired by set 75916: Dilophosaurus Ambush from the first series of Jurassic World sets. I have turned that jeep into a Classic Space vehicle by subtracting most of the features and adding the CS logo to this piece on the trunk  and a space seat for the driver. This CS version has a trans-yellow windscreen and a revised roll-cage.

The rear of the vehicle has a spare tire, license plate and tail-pipe while the roll-cage folds back to allow for you to place the driver in the seat.

Cosmic Explorer

This is a heavily modified set 70816 (Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!) to features a new canopy from set 75176 (Resistance Transport pod) for the front windscreen, plus a rear turret that elevates and rotates in lieu of the radar dish and repair robots. To match the new canopy, the crew quarters were enlarged and opening roof remade, but the wings still fold out via the same Technic mechanism as in the original set 70816. More recently, I added a new nose to the ship inspired by DC comics set 76028. (Darkseid Invasion)

The rear of the ship features the three main engines. The sensor array that was once near here was replaced by a four-barrel repeating laser turret that can rotate a full 360 degrees and elevate to 180 degrees, allowing for cover fire in almost any direction.

The wings fold out if the center engine is pushed inwards, ready for the foam-tipped missiles to be engaged and aimed at any Blacktron III enemies... I did remove those yellow missiles, as they were too touchy and could fire accidentally.

The main canopy has been heavily modified to allow for crew to go between the engineering and navigation sections without having to exit the ship. The Unikitty-seat area was replaced with a opening canopy for the engineering and fire-control crew to see outside from their stations near the Imagination Reactor.

Deep Space Fighters

These ships are deep space fighters of the Galaxy-class. Each seat one figure and have enhanced hyper-drive making it nearly as fast as LL-929. (Benny's spaceship) This ship was designed to be a heavily-armed fighter, and features an enclosed cockpit allowing for long distance travel such as from system to system if in an emergency.

The rear of each of the two ship's features two engines made up of four  smaller rockets.

Here is the cockpit, which can seat 1 pilot figure per ship.

Interstellar Frigate

I really like this ship and have since I first saw it, I just had to wait for the instructions for set 75293 (Resistance IT-S Transport from Star Wars) to come out to make sure it could be built in real bricks with the changes I had in mind. (which were quite a lot!) I'm so glad I chose to do it in LDD first before just buying random bricks, as it required SO many modifications to the design (including an actual windscreen and extended cargo bay!) and changing other colors, that I would have been completely lost just swapping parts out at random.

The eight engines are attached in a completely different way to the set design, as 2 x 4 bricks with three Technic holes going straight down don't exist in LDD. This new design was the only suitable way to get them to work on the ship in a very tight space. Also, I added double raised fins to the rear of the ship, for that extra retro '80's space flair.

The cargo bay is quite spacious for troops or freight as it has been elongated by four studs from the set's original length. (You can see it is loaded with five yellow space-crates above) The roof of the cargo bay comes off, while the landing ramps fold up / down for loading or unloading of cargo / security personnel.

The front of the ship has a space seat for a single pilot with two large laser forward-facing cannons. The pilot's cabin also features actual controls and a real front windscreen. (unlike the stickers and tiles in the original set!) The cockpit roof folds away, just as it did in the original set, which you can partially see here.

K8-E the robot dog - Benny's best friend

After meeting the Doctor (Who?) and his K-9 (pronounced Canine) unit, Benny decided he wanted a pet. So he bought himself a retired space police bot named K8-E (it's pronounced Katy) who helps Benny with his maintaining his SPACESHIP! and home base of the fleet.

The two robot dogs eventually teamed up to sabotage a Blacktron and Dalek peace treaty from being signed, thus keeping the Universe safe from their plans for conquest for the moment. K8-E even took a laser shot from the Blacktron secondary leader, saving K-9 from being killed in the midst of them leaving the self-destructing Dalek ship. When reunited with Benny and the Doctor a short while later, the robot dog was fixed up and given the nod of approval from the Doctor, and a happy farewell from K-9, who left with the Doctor in the TARDIS to go to parts unknown looking for the Daleks fleeing from their loss at the hands of K8-E & K-9.

From then on, K8-E has been keeping Benny company while awaiting the return of K-9 and the Doctor.

K8-E is actually modified from set 8399 (K-9 Bot), which is a 2009 Space Police III set.

Astro-Bot 33 - Classic Space's Giant Robot

You may ask yourself: "Why would the Classic Space fleet want a giant robot?" The answer is a simple one: "Who in their right mind wouldn't want a giant freaking robot!?!?!"

This Classic Space version of Build Better Bricks' Iron Giant with the head of the previous @hachiroku version of the model's head added on. (consider it a mashup of the two Iron Giant models!) I made it into CS colors (black, light / dark grays and blue) with red and green light parts, and two yellow / black bumblebee stripe tiles.

The rear of the robot. The 4 x 2 slopes on the arms are supposed to have this print.

The mouth now can open to allow for posing... but unfortunately, it doesn't play nice with the shoulders, so the mouth must remain closed until I can figure out a better solution. Another thing that didn't work well was the rotating waist: it operated too jerkily and was hard to operate, so I removed that feature.

Conveyex Crawler-Transporter

This is a heavily modified Classic Space version of 2018 Star Wars set 75217 (Imperial Conveyex Transport). It's length has been doubled and the visible weapons have been removed, to make more room for passengers. Behind the trans-yellow glass of the former cargo-cars are seats, so that workers can get to Benny's space base without driving in themselves. (Call it a commuter light-railroad system, without the "rail" part!)

The vehicle can be shortened or lengthened in modular sections depending on the needs of the specific mission, but in this particular case it has two crawler engine units, and two cargo hauler segments that can easily detach for maintenance or to drop more segments in / out.

On each of the engine units is the dual drivers compartments, located on either side of the tread behind the square openings.

Each car seat four figures, meaning the whole train hauls eight people (+ their air-tanks!).

....and yes, two of the handles on the doors are upside-down in all the pictures.

Classic Space figures

These are all my Classic Space figures. The thirteen green figures are the soldiers of the group, while while the six red suited people are scientists. The three blue figures  are Benny (in helmet), Penelope (with pigtails), and Unikitty who are the officers of the group. The two other figures, (the red android and the robo-dog) are T-3PO, who serves as the translator to other species and computer systems, while the robo-dog is K8-E who happens to be Benny's personal pet / security guard.

The astronauts you see here are the famous "Lost Six". These half-dozen brave souls were with Benny in 1988 when the space station they were on was ambushed by Blacktron I forces and blasted into a black hole. Benny managed to escape the station before it entered the gravity field, but only just in the nick of time. (He could not reach his ship mates due to a computer error with the hatch systems.) Benny's suit was damaged in the escape, and he still wears it like that to this day as a reminder of his failure to get his crew off in time. This is the last picture of the Lost Six, with Benny out of frame because he took the picture. (He was supposed to be in the picture, but he forgot to set the timer on that take.) Will we ever see these brave men and women again? Only time will tell! 

Meet AstroKitty (in blue) and PuppyNaut (in white)!

I've had AstroKitty built like this since 2014 when I got Benny's Spaceship (x3) from the original LEGO Movie line. I had to find a novel solution to the head-falling-off problem. (double the body width and pretend it's a bigger spacesuit) I was very sad to see Lego never released a blue one of the upside-down 1 x 3 tile parts with hole used in the newer Unikitty! sets seen around 2018 to correct this error.

I did, however, note the new arrival of Puppycorn, Unikitty's energetic younger brother from the TV show and was disappointed to see he never had a Classic Space variant, besides the "Alien" version. (which I don't count as actually being Puppycorn.) So, in short, I made one from his Dalmatian costume, made to be double wide like AstroKitty. Sadly, there is no Classic Space logo on Puppynaut, as there is on Astrokitty. (This drives my OCD nuts!) ...oh, and they have headlamps on both their helmets, to provide light in dark environments and a convenient hole for the unicorn horn to fit into. I have used what was left of the word astronaut as originally worded by LEGO, as in ASTRO goes with KITTY; so thus PUPPY gets hitched to NAUT. Thus, we get PUPPYNAUT to describe him.

EDITED 5/21/21 added some newer models to the post.

As usual, Comments, questions and complaints are always welcome!

Edited Thursday at 07:34 PM by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

EDITED: 9/15/16: Added vehicles and K-8 to the main post.

It's a dog meet dog world when Benny and K-8 meet Doctor Who and K-9!

[Murdoch17]

 

Ever since the Attack on Octan Tower, Benny has been looking for a way to beef up his command spaceship, the Cosmic Explorer (LL929). Then he hit upon an idea: removing the fold-up sensor array and replace it with a rotating and elevating four-gun turret. he also removed the original angular windscreen and replaced it with larger one so you can walk from the engineering compartment to the navigation section.

Benny then set about working on his design, and plans on implementing it as soon as possible. This is just the latest in a series of modifications, including a enlarged secondary cabin underneath what used to be Astrokitty's seat, and removing of the wing-tip fighters.

(Updated real life pictures of this model coming soon, as the ship is being updated to include the new parts and features, including a new trans-yellow canopy!)

[Digger of Bricks]

Say, I really like that mod! To me, it kind of is like a marriage of Benny's SSS and 2009's 5974 Galactic Enforcer. Maybe that's just because of the canopy, but still, it works quite nicely. 

Now I have to say, one of the earlier builds on this topic I really dig are those Deep Space Fighters. As simple as they are, they have a sleek, automobile aesthetic I like.  

 

[Murdoch17]

On 9/1/2017 at 8:17 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Say, I really like that mod! To me, it kind of is like a marriage of Benny's SSS and 2009's 5974 Galactic Enforcer. Maybe that's just because of the canopy, but still, it works quite nicely. 

Now I have to say, one of the earlier builds on this topic I really dig are those Deep Space Fighters. As simple as they are, they have a sleek, automobile aesthetic I like.  

 

Thanks, I guess the Galactic Enforcer was a subliminal influence that I didn't notice until now... thanks for point that out. I am also glad you like the deep space ships, as that sleek look was the aesthetic I was aiming for!

Note: I just updated the building to be a lot smaller (and cheaper!) than the previous base with walls... Any thoughts on that or Benny's new 1961 Corvette?

Edited September 3, 2017 by Murdoch17

[Digger of Bricks]

Alright, that '61 Vette is pretty cool, especially with that windshield in Trans-yellow.  

Funny, even though I knew that Lola in AoS was a '61 Vette, I didn't even think about the fact that technically the hovercar featured in the Detroit Steel set is unofficially Lego's first take on that model. The set may not be directly entied to the show, but the inspiration is of course obvious.

[Murdoch17]

On 9/3/2017 at 11:29 AM, Digger of Bricks said:

Alright, that '61 Vette is pretty cool, especially with that windshield in Trans-yellow.  

Funny, even though I knew that Lola in AoS was a '61 Vette, I didn't even think about the fact that technically the hovercar featured in the Detroit Steel set is unofficially Lego's first take on that model. The set may not be directly entied to the show, but the inspiration is of course obvious.

good point, never thought about that!

Finally got Benny's SPACESHIP! finished, and now just need the HQ, car and Benny's robot dog to complete the scene.

[Digger of Bricks]

5 hours ago, Murdoch17 said:

Finally got Benny's SPACESHIP! finished, and now just need the HQ, car and Benny's robot dog to complete the scene.

It looks pretty nice fleshed out! By the way, do you have any interior pictures of the lower and upper cockpit areas?

Also, it's cool seeing those Deep Space Fighters once again. 

[Murdoch17]

On 12/19/2017 at 8:45 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

It looks pretty nice fleshed out! By the way, do you have any interior pictures of the lower and upper cockpit areas?

Also, it's cool seeing those Deep Space Fighters once again. 

Sorry for the late reply, @Digger of Bricks , but I don't have inside pictures yet.

Right now, though, I've got a quite a bit to catch up on, building-wise! (the first post has been updated with a ton of new goodies)

Edited June 8, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Atmospheric Re-entry Imminent  (OR, the story of how Benny gained his robotic arm)

Benny the classic 1980's spaceman: What the status on our giant robot? Is he on schedule to meet up with our scientist friends at that Martian crystal miner outpost? You know we need him to solve that invading alien problem disrupting our fuel supplies.

Random Technician: We've just lost contact, we think it may have been shot down over Neptune by someone or something. All communication ceased just five minutes ago.... I was just trying to reach you on the holo-phone.

Benny (thinking deeply): Any indicators of who it might be? Any sub-space communications in the area or possibly any spy droids who could shoot him down?

Technician: No sir, and a probe droid plowed the way earlier, and found nothing new on Neptune or anywhere near it... so it must have been either a freak accident, or...

Benny: or what?

Technician (whispering): ..it is possibly something we never thought off. Something even you could not prevent nor saw coming:

Benny: Spyruis? Insectoids? laser sharks?!

Technician: No, sir, Blacktron III. Maybe even using cloaking technology, that or...

Benny:  or what?!?

Technician (eyes change color to red with evil power as he grabs Benny's right arm and begins to squeeze really hard): Internal sabotage!

(this post is just to prove I'm not done with this idea, and am working on getting things in order for a future purchase of the robot. I also thought I'd tie it into the LEGO Movie 2 poster where Benny has a robotic arm with no explanation on why or how it got there)

This piece of custom printed 8 x 16 retro-styled LEGO tile was gotten just yesterday from BrickBuildersPro, as seen here. It is currently awaiting the construction of the command center and walls.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

This is Benny the 1980-something space guy and his robo-dog K8-E. (pronounced "Katy") They have just spruced up Benny's '79 Moonraker.

The engine in this car has been upgraded from a gasoline chugging-monster into a more environmentally-friendly Hydrogen-3 Fusion engine to turn it into a modern mechanical beast with a retro exterior.

The roof is removable, and the three seats can fit figures with air-tanks and helmets. The doors open in the front normally, but in the rear they open in a reversed pattern to create a wider opening. This printed 4 x 2 slope part goes on the nose of the car.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

The Universe is in chaos. Evil armies run amok, while sky-pirates prey on the biggest of space-freighters. Shadowy organizations with unknown motives leave inter-planetary space police and some stellar governments in chains of corruption and crime, while those who fight back are swept aside.

Meanwhile, the astronauts of Classic Space are keeping as little contact as possible with the outside Universe beyond their little pocket dimension of time stuck some-when between 1978 to 1987.

But this position is becoming impossible, with constant intrusion into their space by others and with the time-pocket becoming increasingly unstable. So, in the interest of seeking new allies and finding peace in the advanced modern world, a delegation of astronauts where given four years and several ships to do just that. The years is 2018, and what you are about to hear is called THE VOYAGER FILES...

(In reality, this is just a picture of my Classic Space fleet so far.... there is more to come soon, though. I also thought up the above TV-style intro as if it were a 1990's sc-fi show, sorta like Star Trek, Babylon 5, etc...)

This car and robot dog have been already ordered and on there way, and are to be built in early August.

This big guy is to be ordered / built later this year. (I hope around early November)

The house (as shown in the first real-world picture) gets trans-yellow windows and other miscellaneous stuff at the same time the car get a built in early August. Consider it an much-needed upgrade, which can be seen more of here.

Well, what do you think?

Edited July 11, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

Behold, Benny the 1980-something space guy's home and car, in all their Classic Space glory. The house folds open, and the car's roof comes off, both to access the very detailed inside sections. Please see the first post for more details on how this has now been worked into the base wall's structure.

Edited July 15, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

This picture is just to reinforce the notion that this LEGO robot is truly colossal in size compared to a mini-figure, as shown next to the bot's left foot.The 1-inch (or so) astronaut figure barely comes up to his angle joint, so it gives you a bit of scale. I'm thinking of calling the robot by some sort of name (Astro-Bot, maybe?) , but unfortunately the ones that comes to mind first, Iron Man and the Man of Steel, are already taken!

(Credit is due to my brother for giving me the file for this radio antenna yesterday.) I have modified it to fit on top of Benny's house instead of the sorry-looking small radar dish that is on the real world model now. (I just need to get it built in real life now, as another thing added to the to-do list!)

Here you can see the whole base assembled in one place.

[Murdoch17]

I've finally ordered the parts from Brick-Link to make this robot in real-world bricks, and here he is giving his seal of approval with a thumbs up!

[x105Black]

It should be really cool to see the robot fully constructed out of real bricks!

[Murdoch17]

On 7/28/2018 at 2:43 PM, x105Black said:

It should be really cool to see the robot fully constructed out of real bricks!

Yes, I agree, and I can't wait to show it to the world! I'll be sure to tag you in the post when i do finish it in-the-brick.

All but the last Brick-Link order has arrived today for my Classic Space-styled Iron Giant. The fifth and final (plus the largest by far) order should be here by Wednesday the 1st of August at the earliest according to the USPS website, as the tracking says it was shipped today.... though I highly doubt it will be here that fast!

If it does get here that fast, keep an eye out for an new post in this thread about the robot by later this week.

[Murdoch17]

@x105Black here is the giant robot! There are two more pictures in the first post as well. I ordered the wrong ankle joints by my mistake (I messed up), so it can stand, but it is unstable and will fall over at the slightest breeze or table shift. Thus, most of the picture have if laying down or have my hand hidden from view. Enjoy!

[Ninja_Bait]

Looks awesome in the brick!  I wonder if you could do anything to make the eyes pop a little more though - maybe try solid yellow instead of transparent?

[x105Black]

That looks fantastic!  So much better to see it like this!  Hope you get the ankles figured out soon, that would go a long way, but it looks great.

Nice work!

[Murdoch17]

On 8/3/2018 at 9:25 AM, Ninja_Bait said:

Looks awesome in the brick!  I wonder if you could do anything to make the eyes pop a little more though - maybe try solid yellow instead of transparent?

 

13 hours ago, x105Black said:

That looks fantastic!  So much better to see it like this!  Hope you get the ankles figured out soon, that would go a long way, but it looks great.

Nice work!

Thank you @Ninja_Bait & @x105Black, I appreciate the feedback and compliments! As for the eyes, I like the trans-yellow. It just looks better to me, and I tried a bunch of colors in LDD at first.

I've decided that while I'm fixing the weak ankles, I'm also going to re-add back in the opening mouth to the model along with fixing a few other minor issues. The head was scrapped and revised many times since the mouth was removed, so adding it back in was a challenge, but it was doable. This was at the cost of the smoothness of the current curved face.

What do you guys think of it in LDD before it get added on to the real model? I only need to order about 8 new bricks to change the head, which, when added with the other ankle and such parts amounts to about 12 new bricks total.

[Murdoch17]

(Just found out the opening mouth wasn't gonna work, so I scrapped it and am keeping my original head on the robot.)

This is just a picture of my Classic Space fleet so far, complete with the attack-cruiser, two fighter-craft, Benny's house, his '70's style car and the giant robot. The fortress walls that are seen in the first post should be here around Christmas or so. (if I stick to my LEGO-buying schedule.)

Any thoughts?

[Murdoch17]

This strange-looking crawler vehicle has been added to the first post, and is a heavily modified Classic Space version of 2018 Star Wars set 75217 (Imperial Conveyex Transport). This model would be after the modular fortress walls, as sort of a stretch goal for 2019. Even then, I'm not sure on whether I really want to build it in real bricks or not.... it may be too far-fetched for even my tastes!

Edited August 8, 2018 by Murdoch17

[Murdoch17]

The smaller (and very cramped) building has been replaced by the larger, fold-open Classic Space Embassy building, which also serves as Benny's house and command post. Please see the main post for more details and inside pictures!

[GeoBrick]

Nice work. The main comm dish definitely looks good on top of the embassy. And I like the gates. I kinda wonder how a gatehouse/tower on or around it would look.

I do hope, with the expansion in living space Benny will get an increase in staff as well?