LEGO Sci-Fi 2019 Pictures and Rumors

[Digger of Bricks]

37 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

While minifig-focused sets with like 10+ figures have existed before purely focused on City Jobs/Space or Fantasy minifigures, in recent years, that was only seen in the Education theme.

The fact that this exists beside the regular "Fun in the xxx" set just might increase the chances of this becoming more then a 1-time thing.

While the "Fun in the xxx" focuses mostly on regular people, they can use those job-focused people packs for other Subthemes.

Ah, I see!  

39 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO has had Chess sets for Pirates and Castle before, and also have been seen in Education sets, so the idea of a People Pack outside of City might not be so strange either. (with less duplicates)

Heh, perhaps even a theme like Ninjago could see a people/denizen pack in the near future. 

[x105Black]

On 4/22/2019 at 8:15 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

Is it perhaps what seems to be a Sand Blue Classic Spaceman in the box art's background? 

That's not what I'm seeing.  Sand blue, sure, but Classic Spaceman?  Not so much.

[Bob De Quatre]

Just now, x105Black said:

That's not what I'm seeing.  Sand blue, sure, but Classic Spaceman?  Not so much.

It's that new space logo from the new theme :(

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, x105Black said:

That's not what I'm seeing.  Sand blue, sure, but Classic Spaceman?  Not so much.

1 hour ago, Bob De Quatre said:

It's that new space logo from the new theme :(

Hmmmm, well, maybe that is indeed the case the closer I scrutinize what small resolution images there are. 

[Aanchir]

Just saw a comment on Facebook pointing out a new-yet-not-new printed element in the Boost Droid Commander set: Check out that vent on R2-D2's right side…

[TeriXeri]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Just saw a comment on Facebook pointing out a new-yet-not-new printed element in the Boost Droid Commander set: Check out that vent on R2-D2's right side…

Looks like a Classic Space grille 

Slope 45 2 x 2 with Black Grille Pattern

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3039p05#T=S&O={"iconly":0}

First seen in  blue (1984)  

And white (1986) 

Not sure why they brought that specific print back, because R2-D2 only has 6 vents, and not 7 , unless the Classic Space speculation can begin

I know the piece has been used in non city sets like the Santa Fe train in 2002, but one can hope right.

But then again, it's LEGO and the number of vents has varied on the "minifig" scale R2-D2. between 3, 5 and 6.

Just fun browsing around some Bricklink for clues.

Edited May 8, 2019 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

47 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

Not sure why they brought that specific print back, because R2-D2 only has 6 vents, and not 7 , unless the Classic Space speculation can begin

I think it was mainly just a fun easter egg/bonus the designers threw in for AFOLs. After all, one of the main Boost designers, Carl Merriam, is himself an AFOL. Of course, it's possible LEGO might plan to reuse it in a future LEGO Movie 2 set or some other Classic Space throwback.

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

I think it was mainly just a fun easter egg/bonus the designers threw in for AFOLs. After all, one of the main Boost designers, Carl Merriam, is himself an AFOL. Of course, it's possible LEGO might plan to reuse it in a future LEGO Movie 2 set or some other Classic Space throwback.

Well, for me, I'm particularly excited for the new 4x4 quarter dome brick this set introduces!  

[Aanchir]

14 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, for me, I'm particularly excited for the new 4x4 quarter dome brick this set introduces!  

Same! I tend to work with curved elements a lot in my building so more variety is always great, particularly when it matches the radius of so many already existing elements!

[Bornin1980something]

On 3/29/2019 at 2:37 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

So, anyone here planning on reusing Mysterio's/Mr. Freeze's new fishbowl helmet for a '50s-style Spaceman? 

What's this Batman set? I can't find it on Bricklink.

[Henjin_Quilones]

15 hours ago, Bornin1980something said:

What's this Batman set? I can't find it on Bricklink.

It is not released yet. It's set 76118. 

[Digger of Bricks]

 

[TeriXeri]

It's a shame the cockpit printing white isn't as accurate as advertised on the box...

[Tim_AZ]

3 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

It's a shame the cockpit printing white isn't as accurate as advertised on the box...

Yeah, when you compare the review to the official image, it is extremely disappointing that they thought this was OK.

 

[Bornin1980something]

Well, in response to the earlier suggestions, I have managed to bricklink two of the new style fishbowl helmet, and tried it on Buzz Lightyear and retro-spacemen figures.

First thing found was, the new helmet is very wide, and won't fit over most minifigure bodyware. In the case of Buzz, I simply discarded his bodyware and placed the helmet on the bare minifig body, taking advantage of the logo printed on his chest underneath. I don't know why Lego put it there, but it makes his torso more versatile. You can often find novelties like that in Lego.

For the retro-spacemen, I wanted to give him primitive looking briefing apparatus, and chose a 1997 design scuba tank. The helmet still didn't fit directly on top of the tank, so I resorted to what is probably an illegal build; I placed a neck bracket on top of and through the front part of the scuba tank structure, raising the neck, but also bending the front air pipe upwards.

[Nexogeek]

1 hour ago, Bornin1980something said:

Well, in response to the earlier suggestions, I have managed to bricklink two of the new style fishbowl helmet, and tried it on Buzz Lightyear and retro-spacemen figures.

 

First thing found was, the new helmet is very wide, and won't fit over most minifigure bodyware. In the case of Buzz, I simply discarded his bodyware and placed the helmet on the bare minifig body, taking advantage of the logo printed on his chest underneath. I don't know why Lego put it there, but it makes his torso more versatile. You can often find novelties like that in Lego.

For the retro-spacemen, I wanted to give him primitive looking briefing apparatus, and chose a 1997 design scuba tank. The helmet still didn't fit directly on top of the tank, so I resorted to what is probably an illegal build; I placed a neck bracket on top of and through the front part of the scuba tank structure, raising the neck, but also bending the front air pipe upwards.

That looks awesome over a head with the headsock design, as @Digger of Bricks and I both hope for, I hope they use it for a retro spaceman in a CMF 

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, Nexogeek said:

3 hours ago, Bornin1980something said:

Well, in response to the earlier suggestions, I have managed to bricklink two of the new style fishbowl helmet, and tried it on Buzz Lightyear and retro-spacemen figures.

First thing found was, the new helmet is very wide, and won't fit over most minifigure bodyware. In the case of Buzz, I simply discarded his bodyware and placed the helmet on the bare minifig body, taking advantage of the logo printed on his chest underneath. I don't know why Lego put it there, but it makes his torso more versatile. You can often find novelties like that in Lego.

For the retro-spacemen, I wanted to give him primitive looking briefing apparatus, and chose a 1997 design scuba tank. The helmet still didn't fit directly on top of the tank, so I resorted to what is probably an illegal build; I placed a neck bracket on top of and through the front part of the scuba tank structure, raising the neck, but also bending the front air pipe upwards.

That looks awesome over a head with the headsock design, as @Digger of Bricks and I both hope for, I hope they use it for a retro spaceman in a CMF 

Damn, awesome is an understatement, the helmet paired with Buzz's headsocked head is PERFECT!!!  Now I'm convinced that this is indeed the mold Lego just needs to use for an Atompunk-style Retro Space Explorer CMF!!!  

Thank you so much @Bornin1980something for so promptly testing out that new piece for such!!! 

3 hours ago, Bornin1980something said:

First thing found was, the new helmet is very wide, and won't fit over most minifigure bodyware.

Does it perhaps work with TLBM Mr. Freeze's body armor by any chance (if you have the piece)? 

[Bornin1980something]

7 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Damn, awesome is an understatement, the helmet paired with Buzz's headsocked head is PERFECT!!!  Now I'm convinced that this is indeed the mold Lego just needs to use for an Atompunk-style Retro Space Explorer CMF!!!  

Thank you so much @Bornin1980something for so promptly testing out that new piece for such!!! 

Does it perhaps work with TLBM Mr. Freeze's body armor by any chance (if you have the piece)? 

Sorry, I don't have the Mr Freeze bodyware.

[Aanchir]

Since nobody's mentioned it here, there's another Systar System ship in one of the LEGO Movie 2 sets coming out this August… and in another of the set, the Systar System version of Benny! Very excited for both!

The catalog page featuring these sets can be seen here, but be mindful that there are some spoilers if you haven't seen the movie yet but still want to avoid being spoiled:

https://brickset.com/article/44227/more-summer-sets-in-2hy-lego-catalog

[Digger of Bricks]

On 6/12/2019 at 6:23 PM, Aanchir said:

Since nobody's mentioned it here, there's another Systar System ship in one of the LEGO Movie 2 sets coming out this August… and in another of the set, the Systar System version of Benny! Very excited for both!

PromoBricks - LEGO Movie 2: Details on the Next Set Wave

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, Digger of Bricks said:

PromoBricks - LEGO Movie 2: Details on the Next Set Wave

Thanks for the link! I love the function on the starfighter (a trigger you push to fire stars from the disk shooter or pull to deploy the stars in the third cockpit as bombs/paratroopers)! Great also to see some of the other nice features like the storage compartments for the disk-style stars and the new facial expressions for all the characters (including Benny).

The Good Morning Sparkle Babies set also features some awesome otherworldly-looking scenery. This is something I also loved about LEGO Elves, and something that I'm hopeful that we'd get in a future girl-oriented Space theme if a theme like that ever came about. Much like the lack of livable interior spaces in a lot of traditional LEGO castles, I can't help but be slightly disappointed that the only extraterrestrial environments that we ever tend to see in Space sets can all be described as "desolate".

I want to see the kind of WEIRD alien worlds that the Planetary Romance genre is built upon. I want to see lush alien worlds, societal and cultural norms that vary from our Earth-based frame of reference, and a premise where space is NOT simply treated simply as "unexplored frontier" like it is to us in the present day, but as a place that futuristic societies genuinely think of as home, and relate to accordingly.

[danth]

4 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

PromoBricks - LEGO Movie 2: Details on the Next Set Wave

 

I like the parts more than the build for the spaceship. Colored windscreens would have made it something special. I can get boring light trans blue in City sets.

That Benny though. That Benny is irresistible.  

Not sure what I like more. The crazy Classic Space torso, the sunglasses, or the face print.

[Digger of Bricks]

49 minutes ago, danth said:

Colored windscreens would have made it something special. I can get boring light trans blue in City sets.

Yeah, why couldn't they just have gone the direction of either the Party Bus (i.e. Trans-Purple) or Mayhem's Starship (i.e. Trans-Pink)? 

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I want to see the kind of WEIRD alien worlds that the Planetary Romance genre is built upon. I want to see lush alien worlds, societal and cultural norms that vary from our Earth-based frame of reference, and a premise where space is NOT simply treated simply as "unexplored frontier" like it is to us in the present day, but as a place that futuristic societies genuinely think of as home, and relate to accordingly.

I enthusiastically agree, though I'd personally hope to see such a theme have a combined Planetary Romance/Exploration-based premise, where galactic adventurers discover and explore such advanced extraterrestrial societies. 

[KotZ]

On 6/20/2019 at 12:30 PM, danth said:

That Benny though. That Benny is irresistible.  

Not sure what I like more. The crazy Classic Space torso, the sunglasses, or the face print.

I need that Benny.

[Aanchir]

Ooh, I was just looking at some of the online instruction manuals for the LEGO City Mars Expedition sets, and I love that they have an actual magnifying glass in the space telescope build: https://www.lego.com/biassets/bi/6282423.pdf

Sure, it's not a real telescopic effect (which would require multiple lenses or mirrors), but it's still cool that they made it so you can look through it and see things BIGGER!

The new piece used to link the rocket stages is also really cool and will be great for stuff like modular moonbases or undersea bases, etc. Sort of like the arches from the Life on Mars sets but without so many insanely specialized textures or such a huge size.

Also some BRILLIANT play features in the mission control building: https://www.lego.com/biassets/bi/6282435.pdf There's a removable screen made using stickered transparent panels with spinny or slidey bits mounted behind them. But I've read you can also remove that and put a smartphone in its place, and that they'll have videos online or in one of their apps that you can use while playing with the set to add real video and audio.

This is the type of stuff that I think really shows how many ways that the advent of smartphones/tablets can add to authentically LEGO play experiences. In the 80s and 90s, including "light and sound" features in sets required expensive electronic components and designing sets with room for a bulky battery box — in the 2000s, LEGO made more compact light and sound bricks with their own "button batteries" that saved space, but they were still pricy compared to regular bricks. And including a working video screen? Out of the question.

But nowadays, video and web capable mobile devices (including smartphones but also other devices like iPod Touch and Samsung Galaxy Player) are so ubiquitous that LEGO can introduce optional play features using devices that many kids can simply borrow from a parent during a play session, and thus enhance their play scenarios without needing to drive up the cost of the set by actually including that sort of advanced hardware in the box.

Even without the required tech, a set like this or https://brickset.com/sets/41349-1/Drifting-Diner still offers just as great or greater a building and play experience when compared to an equivalent set would have back when this type of tech wasn't possible.

And even though it's not a true monorail, the elevated rail system astronauts use to get from mission control to the launch site is the sort of thing that will be fantastic in future space related sets and MOCs. After all, it ends up looking more like a real monorail or even many sci-fi "space train" concepts in how it wraps around the track than the old monorail sets that just sat on top of the track.

It will be interesting to see if in the future either LEGO themselves or fans come up with additions to this rail system like track switches that conserve momentum (as opposed to the style in the Creator Expert Roller Coaster set that only moves stopped trains on and off of a particular track — usable for track switches, but not quite the same effect).

All this stuff is genuinely a massive step forward for space exploration sets, not just compared to the ones I grew up with in themes like Space Port/Launch Command but also compared to other space exploration focused City sets in 2011 and 2015! It even feels innovative compared to many of the types of play features in more futuristic, sci-fi inspired Space sets!