LEGO Sci-Fi 2020 - Rumors, Speculation, and Discussion

[LegoFjotten]

Benny's Space Squad is now 40% off at S@H (with a limit of 5 per customer). Not sure if it is available in all countries or not.

[1Panda]

I don’t know if someone else said this,

but the helmet looks like an orange.

[Digger of Bricks]

If you're out there @danth, it looks like Creator isn't getting only a Pirate Ship this summer.. 

3 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well shucks, according to @promobricks, their listing of the three summer sets translated from German spells out 31107 as Space Rover Explorer... 

PromoBricks - LEGO Innovations for the Second Half of 2020

Quote

• 31107 Space Rover Explorer €49.99
• 31108 Caravan €79.99
• 31109 Pirate Ship €99.99

[danth]

7 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

If you're out there @danth, it looks like Creator isn't getting only a Pirate Ship this summer.. 

There are two ways this could go:

1) The lame way, where that rover is a NASA style boring real-life rover design, and the Caravan is a minivan

2)  The awesome way, where the rover is a Classic Space style rover, and the Caravan is a Classic Castle style wagon with knights and stuff

I'm betting on 1. I just can't get my hopes up anymore. But if it's 2...YOU'RE ALL WELCOME. 

Actually the Wohnwagen terminology has been used by Lego before to refer to a camper/trailer so the Caravan set 100% isn't a Classic Castle themed set. 

EDIT: 31108 Caravan Family Holiday

Yeah definitely not Castle! 

Edited January 29, 2020 by danth

[The Brick Boss]

16 minutes ago, danth said:

1) The lame way, where that rover is a NASA style boring real-life rover design, and the Caravan is a minivan

That's kinda how Lego works nowadays! For me personally, I don't get my hopes up anymore, especially on here where others are likely to tell you something that'll disappoint you. Either that or I just keep my wishes within reason - that is to say....what Lego wants to push. 

[Digger of Bricks]

7 hours ago, danth said:

There are two ways this could go:

1) The lame way, where that rover is a NASA style boring real-life rover design, and the Caravan is a minivan

2)  The awesome way, where the rover is a Classic Space style rover, and the Caravan is a Classic Castle style wagon with knights and stuff

I'm betting on 1. I just can't get my hopes up anymore. But if it's 2...YOU'RE ALL WELCOME. 

It could very well be of the "NASA" variety, just like 2017's 31066 Space Shuttle Explorer, though 31062 Robo Explorer from that same year did lean closer towards more of a Sci-Fi bent. 

[M'Kyuun]

It's telling, sadly so, that 2020 is a rather disappointingly sparse year for sci-fi offerings, especially when there have been no postings for almost three months. As a minimum, I wish LEGO had expanded last year's City Space sets with another wave, something to fill the void. While a lot of their IPs have sci-fi elements, along with Ninjago, it's just not the same, and honestly, most of what's on offer this year in those properties doesn't interest me a great deal. With the demise of Nexo-Knights, a good source of interesting parts and mecha sets is now gone, with no suitable replacement. I hope LEGO has some new sci-fi property in the works, preferably one set in space. Thus far, 2020 has been the least exciting year for me in a long time so far as LEGO goes. It's more money in my pocket, but less joy overall. :(

[Digger of Bricks]

As mentioned elsewhere, a diver figure from City's upcoming Deep Sea Explorers subtheme has just leaked, and he's sporting a new helmet mold in Dark Red that closely resembles the one worn by spacemen in 1996's Exploriens subtheme. Unlike the Exploriens' helmet though, this one has dual headlamps... 

[M'Kyuun]

Perhaps a portent of things to come?

[Digger of Bricks]

Just now, M'Kyuun said:

Perhaps a portent of things to come?

Heh, maybe? It is an awfully spacey-looking helmet... 

[M'Kyuun]

Fingers crossed- SPACE! 

[danth]

Wow it almost looks like a deconstructed Stormtrooper helmet.

[M'Kyuun]

Kinda does, now that you mention it. But it predates LEGO's SW license by three years, and the first appearance of the Stormtrooper by six. The helmet design was a nice cross-theme mold, as it appeared in space, divers, and fire , IIRC. That cross compatibility was a great hallmark of older LEGO sets. They create a lot more original molds today, so we see less sharing across themes. I'm not complaining, as I'm glad LEGO has the financial footing these days to expand the palette as needed/desired. They just need to make more/better joints for us hapless mecha builders. Grrr! 

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

Kinda does, now that you mention it. But it predates LEGO's SW license by three years, and the first appearance of the Stormtrooper by six. The helmet design was a nice cross-theme mold, as it appeared in space, divers, and fire, IIRC.

I think @danth's referring to the newer upcoming mold rather than the older one.

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

That cross compatibility was a great hallmark of older LEGO sets. They create a lot more original molds today, so we see less sharing across themes. I'm not complaining, as I'm glad LEGO has the financial footing these days to expand the palette as needed/desired.

Well, I personally find the rapid introduction of so many similar new molds a little frustrating, as they seem to be as quickly forgotten as they were introduced, very sparsely being reused/recolored elsewhere afterwards if not at all... 

[danth]

7 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

I think @danth's referring to the newer upcoming mold rather than the older one. 

Yep, you got it.

7 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, I personally find the rapid introduction of so many similar new molds a little frustrating, as they seem to be as quickly forgotten as they were introduced, very sparsely being reused/recolored elsewhere afterwards if not at all...

Agreed. I'm not super big on the aesthetics of the leaked helmet. I prefer the Spacer Miner one or any of the older helmet designs.

[TeriXeri]

Certainly can see the Diver helmets getting used in a Sci-Fi (Space or Cave Explorers etc) situation, at the very least by MOCs.

Or as specialized Fireman/Hazmat/Rescue workers.

Just as the 2019 City Space helmets can be used for underwater scenes, even LEGO themselves used those parts before in a different color in the Atlantis theme.

Edited April 4, 2020 by TeriXeri

[M'Kyuun]

Finally took a peak at the new helmet in question, and I concur with the majority consensus here- not crazy about it compared to similar previous helmets. The lights just don't look good to me, but everything else is fine. It looks like it'll be a dual mold, with a non-removable visor. It certainly looks to be cross-compatible across themes, so that's good.

[danth]

The "knobby" look of the headlamps don't look very sci-fi IMO, more nautical. Not sure if I'd use them in a Space MOC.

[M'Kyuun]

I concur- not very spacy looking. I think the lights would have looked better as small teardrop shaped nodules on the sides of the helmet rather than two big round lights on the forehead. Those just aren't very aesthetically appealing, IMHO. 

[Lego David]

On 4/2/2020 at 6:50 PM, M'Kyuun said:

I hope LEGO has some new sci-fi property in the works, preferably one set in space. Thus far, 2020 has been the least exciting year for me in a long time so far as LEGO goes. It's more money in my pocket, but less joy overall. :(

Well, the Monkey Kid theme (rumored to be a combination between Sci-Fi and Journey to the West) is currently in the works and it's supposed to (hopefully) come out in May of this year... Perhaps this theme will be the Sci-Fi theme you are looking for .

[M'Kyuun]

That's the first I've heard of Monkey Kid, but to my ears, it sounds more fantasy than sci-fi. Did some Googling, and all I found for Monkey Kid was a 1995 Chinese film set in 1970's Beijing about intellectual parents of a nine year old girl being sent off for 're-education' in the country. So I'm guessing Monkey Kid is something new.

I confess my ignorance, as I had to look up Journey to the West as well. Honestly, with Ninjago already evoking a strong Asian vibe, I'm a little surprised that they'd want to do another Asian inspired series with, seemingly, so much in common,such as fantastic creatures, dragons, god-like characters, and other fantasy tropes richly detailed in ancient Chinese and Japanese folklore. It doesn't sound like the sci-fi I want to see, but that doesn't mean I won't give it a watch. I just hope it's better than Chima; I loved the sets and the concept, but I thought the show was really subpar, especially in light of the superior writing and characterization of Ninjago, which was done so well that an adult could enjoy it as well as children. Chima seemed to be written to a lower age bracket, and just didn't quite capture the charm and 'sophistication' of Ninjago. IMHO, that is.

Anyway, I guess we'll see what kind of show, and by extension, sets, we get with Monkey Kid. 

[danth]

I guess the Space Rover Explorer counts. It has an alien, a Classic Space log on the minifig, and a Vic Viper as one of the builds.

311107 – Space Rover Explorer

Also some cool Dots pieces leaked that have what looks like the space ship from the Classic Space logo, not sure if that leak is legit though.

[M'Kyuun]

It's closer to near future rover designs, but the alien is a nice sci-fi nod. If this is the only way we're going to get spacy sci-fi stuff, then I hope at least one out of every Creator wave gets something sci-fi in it. Personally, though, I'd like to see a stand alone line with a couple of waves throughout the year like we used to get. I know a lot of folks want to see classic space themes redone, and I wouldn't mind it either, as CS is near and dear to me; however, I'd be just as happy to see something new, like the Galaxy Squad, for example. I thought most of the alien builds were weak in that line, but I liked the majority of the GS vehicles. More importantly, it was an attempt to try something new, and I applaud the effort, regardless of how it was ultimately received. I thought the good far outweighed the bad in that line, as I have for pretty much all their space lines.  It also provided an alternative to Star Wars. I wish those alternatives came more frequently.

The Vic Viper build is nice to see, and reminds me of Nnenn, may he rest in peace. While it shouldn't come as a surprise to LEGO that sci-fi space is popular (sites like Flickr and Pinterest abound with sci-fi MOCs consistently), they're reluctance to do their own sci-fi space themes is puzzling. I think the demand is there, although apparently their market research says otherwise. I'll take what I can get in the interim. Hopefully the rover proves to be a good seller prompting more sets like it.

[Digger of Bricks]

Well, not only does it look like Creator's Three-In-One Space Rover set will certainly be of interest to those here, but an upcoming leaked Batman set looks to have two new Trans-Yellow canopy/windshield recolors... 

PromoBricks - LEGO Creator Summer Sets 2020: Pictures and Information

Oh, and here's a good look at that previously-discussed helmet from City's upcoming Diver subtheme...

[M'Kyuun]

Yep, I'll be picking up a copy of that rover, maybe two. :)  Agree with the Batman leaks- the truck and the buggy have my attention. I'm trying to figure out if that canopy is the 4-stud wide or 6 wide. I hope 4, but I think it's the 6. The 4 would have a lot more utility MOC-wise, methinks. At first glance, I thought the buggy was the Arkham Knight video game Batmobile, but sadly, no.

I watched Jang's commentary on the upcoming Monkie Kid sets-  that Bull mech looks very interesting. I like the horse-cycle, too, and the Bull tow truck. The latter has a cool M.A.S.K. vibe to it. I wish LEGO would do more stuff like that. The Monkie Kid HQ looks really cool. The level of detail in that set reminds me of the Ninjago Movie sets, particularly Ninjago City, with all the colors, details, and signage. It also reminds me a little of Samurai X's cave Chaos set. It's not the sci-fi I was looking for, per se, but it looks to be more on the Ninjago level of sci-fi, much of which I've enjoyed over the years. Still, I yearn for spaceships, and aliens, and all the stuff between. C'mon LEGO. Please?

Edited April 26, 2020 by M'Kyuun