The Future of Lego Space. (opinions, ideas, discussion)

[Digger of Bricks]

2 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Oh yeah, now I see that, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008  all had some form of robots/mech set(s), with the 2004 TitanXP being the biggest Creator Mech by far.  (784 pieces)

Having said all I did about the abundance of robots from this theme, I do admittedly wish we could see more mecha-esque robots from the Creator Three-In-One line like the Titan XP you mentioned. 

[TeriXeri]

41 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Having said all I did about the abundance of robots from this theme, I do admittedly wish we could see more mecha-esque robots from the Creator Three-In-One line like the Titan XP you mentioned. 

 

Yes that set looked very cool, sort of reminds me of a bulkier Black Knight mech (which I do have)

But honestly I didn't follow LEGO much at all between like 2001 and 2010 so I only just now learned of that era creator.

Edited December 19, 2018 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

3 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Oh yeah, now I see that, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008  all had some form of robots/mech set(s), with the 2004 TitanXP being the biggest Creator Mech by far.  (784 pieces)

I just didn't look that far back before.

Granted, for some of that time, those sets were not branded as Creator — prior to 2006, multi-build sets like those were part of the Designer Set theme, which coexisted with the Creator, Technic, Mindstorms, X-Pod, and Inventor Set themes within the Make & Create theme family. The Creator theme at that time was also closer to what is today called LEGO Classic.

In 2006, some of those theme names were changed or switched around: what was previously known as "Creator" became "Creative Building", the "Designer Sets" became "Creator", and "X-Pods" became a subtheme of "Creator" (the Inventor Sets had already been retired by that time).

1 hour ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Having said all I did about the abundance of robots from this theme, I do admittedly wish we could see more mecha-esque robots from the Creator Three-In-One line like the Titan XP you mentioned. 

As cool as that would be, I know a lot of people are already getting fed up with the number of mechs appearing in other themes!

[Digger of Bricks]

9 hours ago, Aanchir said:

As cool as that would be, I know a lot of people are already getting fed up with the number of mechs appearing in other themes!

Specifically, I'd wish to see Jaegers come to the Creator theme someday. Ya know, serious mecha... 

[Darnok]

4 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Ya know, serious mecha... 

You mean serious?

[Dazzzy]

I'd personally love to see LEGO do some more EXO-Force style sets. Loved the colours they used for those mechs.

[Digger of Bricks]

Over on the 2019 City topic, @Falconfan1414 has reported that the theme will be not just be returning to Space, but to the MOON!  

Quote

60224 - mission for satellite maintenance - 84 pieces 

60225 - space exploration vehicle - 202 pieces

60226 - space shuttle - 273 pieces 

60227 - lunar space station - 412 pieces 

60228 - launch station - 837 pieces 

60229 - rocket transport - 1055 pieces 

 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Digger of Bricks

[Captain Mutant]

BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!!

[Renny The Spaceman]

I wonder how the aesthetic will fare, will the stick to the more realistic whites and blacks or will they really push the fantastical nature and make them red or something.

[Digger of Bricks]

Just now, Renny The Spaceman said:

I wonder how the aesthetic will fare, will the stick to the more realistic whites and blacks or will they really push the fantastical nature and make them red or something.

Preferably, I'd hope to see the sets adopt a near-futuristic design which pays homage to Classic Space by lightly evoking at least the color scheme of the original sets. I could imagine that taking the form of semi-realistic shuttlecraft with a Sand Blue paint job (Light Bluish Grey meets Bright Blue) and Trans-Yellow triangular porthole windows in lieu of retrofuturistic panoramic canopies. 

[Captain Mutant]

Or maybe something like what I had submitted to Ideas ? 

27 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Preferably, I'd hope to see the sets adopt a near-futuristic design which pays homage to Classic Space by lightly evoking at least the color scheme of the original sets. I could imagine that taking the form of semi-realistic shuttlecraft with a Sand Blue paint job (Light Bluish Grey meets Bright Blue) and Trans-Yellow triangular porthole windows in lieu of retrofuturistic panoramic canopies.

Near-Futuristic would be ideal. No aliens (hypocritical, I know, considering what I look like), no conflict. Just research and exploration like it was in the first waves back in the 70s.

[Digger of Bricks]

4 minutes ago, Captain Mutant said:

Near-Futuristic would be ideal. No aliens (hypocritical, I know, considering what I look like), no conflict. Just research and exploration like it was in the first waves back in the 70s.

And that's the thing. There's no better place for such a Space line currently than within the City theme, as a standalone Space theme without conflict might not work nowadays. 

[Captain Mutant]

Just now, Digger of Bricks said:

There's no better place for such a Space line currently than within the City theme, as a standalone Space theme without conflict might not work nowadays. 

I agree. And if I remember correctly, the first space theme was just another division of LegoLand (hence the LL for the ship numbers). I really hope they release something that will appeal to us die-hards as well as the younger generation. Not an easy balance to master...

[danth]

13 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Over on the 2019 City topic, @Falconfan1414 has reported that the theme will be not just be returning to Space, but to the MOON!  

 

I don't know how I feel about this. "So close, yet so far" comes to mind.

[Captain Mutant]

I’ll reserve judgement until we see the pictures. Until then I’ll pig out on some space sets from TLM2 ? 

[danth]

3 hours ago, Captain Mutant said:

I’ll reserve judgement until we see the pictures. Until then I’ll pig out on some space sets from TLM2 ? 

I'm going to predict that these are going to be the same kind of realistic modern-era space sets we've seen before in Town/City. NASA-style shuttles, satellites, and buggies. Specifically not-sci-fi at all. 

Totally with you on TLM2 sets!

 

[Captain Mutant]

I'm with you danth, except for this one set: "60227 lunar space station" !!! ? 

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, danth said:

I'm going to predict that these are going to be the same kind of realistic modern-era space sets we've seen before in Town/City. NASA-style shuttles, satellites, and buggies. Specifically not-sci-fi at all. 

That may very well be; but, have you seen City's offerings in more recent years? Not only have they been taking it way outside of the "city limits" since 2014 starting with the Arctic subtheme, but many of these various subthemes have taken directions many consider to be edging close to Sci-Fi. So yes, this upcoming subtheme may be nothing more than what we've seen four years ago, but I don't think the possibility of a spiritual successor to Classic Space couldn't find a home under the wing of the City theme given the directions they've taken it already. 

[Aanchir]

11 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Preferably, I'd hope to see the sets adopt a near-futuristic design which pays homage to Classic Space by lightly evoking at least the color scheme of the original sets. I could imagine that taking the form of semi-realistic shuttlecraft with a Sand Blue paint job (Light Bluish Grey meets Bright Blue) and Trans-Yellow triangular porthole windows in lieu of retrofuturistic panoramic canopies. 

I can't really imagine a City subtheme using Sand Blue as its main color, since City sets tend towards vibrant color schemes about as consistently as Space sets.

3 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

That may very well be; but, have you seen City's offerings in more recent years? Not only have they been taking it way outside of the "city limits" since 2014 starting with the Arctic subtheme, but many of these various subthemes have taken directions many consider to be edging close to Sci-Fi. So yes, this upcoming subtheme may be nothing more than what we've seen four years ago, but I don't think the possibility of a spiritual successor to Classic Space couldn't find a home under the wing of the City theme given the directions they've taken it already. 

In general I think the sci-fi elements of recent City subthemes have been somewhat overstated… if anything, they are sci-fi-ish existing technologies translated into forms that, while more realistic, are closer to what kids are likely to understand.

For example, "jetpacks" have been developed in the past decade and pitched to police departments by venture capitalists — these "jetpacks" generally use turbines rather than rockets, but the jetpacks in the Sky Police sets could be understood as this concept translated into a form more like how kids expect a jetpack to look. Dubai firefighters have even started using water pressure powered "jetpacks" to fight skyscraper fires.

Likewise, the "Arctic Ice Crawler" is pretty obviously inspired by real-life walking excavators, but simplified into a "walker" by giving it feet instead of wheels (some walking excavators do have at least two feet but I'm not aware of any that have four feet and no wheels). The Arctic Ice Glider also seems loosely based on such vehicles as the Czech SnowGlider or the Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle. Some of the other exotic-looking arctic vehicles in those sets are, if anything, older, largely defunct technologies rather than futuristic ones — like the Letourneau Overland Train, which was invented in the late 1950s! And the giant circular saw vehicles? Those are basically just rock saws that exist as an optional attachment for many run-of-the-mill excavators (though I haven't seen pictures of them being used for ice specifically).

So sure, it's not surprising to see stuff like a moon colony that right now only exists conceptually, but I think that overall the new space sets will probably remain more or less based on the kinds of stuff that's currently being conceptualized for near-future use… which of course includes some of the tamer sorts of Classic Space-ish builds, but probably not ships with extravagant color schemes, spoilers, and oversized wing-mounted engines. Even so, the only things that are particularly lost from that "near future" approach are laser guns, aliens, and nostalgia fuel. Stuff like robots, moonbases, and space planes? Probably still fair game!

[Digger of Bricks]

Just now, Aanchir said:

I can't really imagine a City subtheme using Sand Blue as its main color, since City sets tend towards vibrant color schemes about as consistently as Space sets.

Yet I couldn't see Space sets within the City theme being traditional Bright Blue, hence why I figured Sand Blue could be a more modest shade that would convey the realism of the City theme while also acting as a nod to Classic Space. 

5 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

So sure, it's not surprising to see stuff like a moon colony that right now only exists conceptually, but I think that overall the new space sets will probably remain more or less based on the kinds of stuff that's currently being conceptualized for near-future use… which of course includes some of the tamer sorts of Classic Space-ish builds, but probably not ships with extravagant color schemes, spoilers, and oversized wing-mounted engines. Even so, the only things that are particularly lost from that "near future" approach are laser guns, aliens, and nostalgia fuel. Stuff like robots, moonbases, and space planes? Probably still fair game!

This was pretty much what my line of thinking was!  

[M'Kyuun]

I'm also thinking they'll take a near-future approach, similar to past City Space sets. With NASA wanting to establish a base on the Moon within the next decade or so, and with technologies developing in rocketry, not to mention the ongoing ventures towards Mars exploration and eventually putting humans on the planet, there's a fertile field of real world space exploration coming to the fore. Certainly, Kjeld Kristiansen has an interest in this sort of thing, as I'm sure, do many of the AFOL-cum-designers, and it just seems a logical step to make a line of sets that capture the spirit of these upcoming ventures to inspire the next generation of space explorers. I wonder how many folks at JPL, NASA, SpaceX, etc became involved in the space industry after being inspired by the old Classic Space sets; that'd make for a neat interview.

I think if we want stuff with a more sci-fi flare outside of IPs, then themes like Ninjago and the LEGO Movies will fill those voids, even if they're not the faithful neo-Classic Space stuff many of us crave. At this point, I'm resigned that there'll likely never be a revival of CS (outside of one-offs like Benny's Spaceship), and I'm ok with that so long as they don't abandon their own space stuff altogether.

[Exetrius]

On 12/20/2018 at 3:29 AM, Digger of Bricks said:

Ya know, serious mecha... 

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169284-moc-m-tron-ice-planet-foxx-mobile-suits/ Like this, maybe? 

Completely missed the news about the City space theme, btw. Really excited to see that lunar base! In general, I'm hoping for ar least some greebles here and there, and maybe some metallized gold-wrapped instruments. 

What if.. they would go with the green Futuron spacemen? That one was introduced in a City set after all 

 

Edited December 28, 2018 by Exetrius

[Vectormatic]

excellent news on the city space sets!

I really hope this wave will include some traditional capsule based spacecraft, something inspired by the crew dragon/statliner/orion (although id personally love a soyuz), but the 200 part exploration vehicle will probably be some sort of moon buggy, on the other hand, if the luner space station is supposed to represent LOPG, we really do need some more SLS/Orion stuff. Im really hoping the launch station and rocket transport arent just another big shuttle, i understand the need for a shuttle, but that is covered by the smaller set, in the real world the shuttle is entirely played out, and having it as the mainstay of another city space line would be rather lame, especially with so many interesting things happening on the space front

[TeriXeri]

I hope City Space has some references to the old school 1979 Command Center / Rocket base, since it's an unofficial 40 year anniversary.

Even if it's something simple as reprinting the space logo on a 1x2 brick, or a grille on a 1x4 brick, or a computer print on a slope. 

Lunar Station having a small crater build up would be fun.

Edited December 28, 2018 by TeriXeri

[Captain Mutant]

I hope so too. Even though I now design my own Classic Space-like MOCs: got tired of waiting ?