Seriously, how did this happen?

[jimmynick]

On 9/20/2020 at 4:02 PM, Redroe said:

To pick up on this thread, I don't recall any space themes being current "when I were a lad" bugging my parents for Lego, i.e. 1996 to 2002 ish, except odd city sets that werre realistic ish.

On 9/20/2020 at 4:59 PM, TeriXeri said:

2001 Life on Mars

There was this one awesome NASA-looking minifig I had around that time (got lost though ). But sci-fi-wise, although Life on Mars was pretty cool it was Alpha Team that really interested me.

I agree with the general consensus that SW killed evergreen in-house "space" themes, although they have tried to reboot them in the past. But somewhere I encountered the notion that kids are less interested in free-form scenarios and more interested in plot-driven toys, or at least such things sell well. And you only have to look at the lifespan of Ninjago to realize there's something to that idea - and that theme has branched out in the past decade from strictly ninja-type action sets to massive vehicles, mecha, the vaguely cyberpunk-flavoured City Docks set, etc. It's in Nexo Knights, too, which is unapologetically sci-fi in nature.

In the strict "space" column, Space Police III got named characters, or at least some of the baddies did. That didn't last. Mars Mission, Alien Conquest, etc. didn't have named characters. I think, generally speaking, the days of "Blacktron are sort of the baddies and Futuron are sort of the goodies" are long gone.

What's the takeaway for me? Star Wars lays golden eggs for LEGO, and it's been documented that the license basically saved the company from bankruptcy. Not only that, but it's a heavily character-driven theme that appeals to kids because there are current media (TV, games, movies) and to their parents because of the nostalgia. It's a heady combination that LEGO hasn't made work for a 100% sci-fi theme yet, although Ninjago is lasting well past its 2- or 3-year sell-by date. Are they not trying hard enough? Possibly. Do they think it's too risky to try and beat Star Wars at its own game? Almost certainly.

And, to be clear, I don't think I'm really a SW apologist. I like the universe but I'm mostly interested in Old Republic stuff that hardly ever gets any attention from the LEGO theme, which itself is a little bit sucky but does have the very popular story elements going for it.

And one more note: to even get a mini-reboot of Classic Space through the Lego Movie, we had to endure the godawful names "Benny", "Lenny", "Kenny" and "Jenny".

[icm]

Sigh ... I'm back.  Matlab is crunching numbers and there's nothing to do in the meantime.  I apologize for taking this thread in a contentious direction.  It really is my fault, and I'm sorry.  The well-known problem with Internet discussions is that it's hard to read nuance and inflection into text.  There was some language earlier in the thread that I read as angrier than I probably should have, and I responded by being more dismissive than I should have.  In this post, and maybe one or two more depending on how the forum software acts, I'll just quote that language to show that while my perception of outrage and entitlement in others may have been ill-judged, it was not entirely without grounds.

Just to be clear, from the beginning of this thread I have mainly objected to that language, not to the substance of the OP's posts, which substance is "I can't wait for the next traditional Space theme!"

On 9/16/2020 at 8:23 PM, astral brick said:

[...] People in denial who justify everything, while they should be the first ones to be outraged to have their money taken out of their pockets, forgetting that if you really love something you should be the fiercest critic of it, rather than turning a blind eye. [...]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:57 AM, astral brick said:

[...] The fact they didnt even celebrate Space 40th anniversary with a proper set was a scandal. [...]

On 9/18/2020 at 3:42 AM, astral brick said:

[...] People [...] are too lazy to use their own imagination. 

On 9/20/2020 at 7:16 AM, astral brick said:

[...] lack of abstract thinking if not patronizing attitudes [...]

12 hours ago, astral brick said:

[...] Do we even realise how bad the situation is for Space? We are craving [...] entitled to another Space set [...]

So there it is ... outrage, scandal, laziness, patronizing, entitlement.  I'm sorry for reading more into your text than you intended.  It was just Internet forum hyperbole, and you weren't really speaking of outrage, or scandals, or entitlement, in any larger sense.

Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that if you use your own imagination and apply a bit of abstract thinking you may find (at least, I find) that there's plenty of non-Star Wars Space sets to be excited about in the past few years, even despite the lack of a traditional Space line or a D2C Classic Space-inspired set.  For instance, do you really believe that Lego expects kids to limit the Rover in set 60225 to a testing lot at Johnson Space Center?  No, they want them to use their imagination and take it to Mars.  Likewise, if you apply a bit of abstract thinking it's easy to make a Ninjago speeder into a spaceship, or to have your Classic Space astronauts interact with your TLM2 spaceships.  (Heck, that's even encouraged by the story.)  That's all.  I'm sorry for letting my attempts to convey that in prior posts seem like nerd rage or a sense of entitlement on my part, with reference to others disagreeing with my own views on the whole thing.

Hum de hoo, Matlab is about 40% done with whatever it's doing right now.  Twiddle my thumbs, fiddle de dee.

Edited September 22, 2020 by icm

[TeriXeri]

1 hour ago, pombe said:

I don't know if the cutoff is Ice Planet, but there is a cutoff.  The fans of classic space will not buy anything after that (with the exception of more spacemen).

For me , the cutoff is Insectoids, as that was the last classic space theme I owned before my 15 year LEGO break.

3 hours ago, astral brick said:

Ok, I guess there is no problem then

And lacking known colour schemes, ie not Space.

I agree there certainly is a situation with a certain lack of "Classic-90s inspired Space"

I stopped being interested in LEGO after 2000, probably due to age and other hobbies, but also LEGO themes going junior mode, or on hiatus for a few years had an effect , the Legends line wasn't even well known either.

 

In fact Nexo Knights reminding me so much of Ice Planet , got me back into LEGO in the first place in 2016, the colors and more angled designs certainly got my attention much more then seeing Space Police 3 sets in a Club magazine.

And yes I agree that City Space and LEGO Movie 2 didn't have that wide array of familiar colors to pick from, Benny's Space Squad certainly was the standout set.

Maybe if I were more interested in LEGO Movie 1 I'd be back into LEGO sooner, but let's just say my interests were in the Warcraft universe for years at that time.

 

And yes I am craving non-licensed Space and Castle sets as well, since Nexo ended.

But Nexo still certainly brought amazing MOC potential partn moreso then City Space or LEGO Movie 2 did , too bad the Benny Garage set was a 4+.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by TeriXeri

[TeriXeri]

LEGO Legacy Heroes Unboxed just got a Space update, I don't play the game , but the screenshots certainly show the type of themes I love (Space Police 1 , Insectoids, Ice Planet , Blacktron 1+2 , Spyrius etc.)

https://www.promobricks.de/lego-legacy-heroes-unboxed-space/109204/

That game feels like such a tease, having all those references but no LEGO sets to go with it.

Edited September 22, 2020 by TeriXeri

[danth]

22 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

LEGO Legacy Heroes Unboxed just got a Space update, I don't play the game , but the screenshots certainly show the type of themes I love (Space Police 1 , Insectoids, Ice Planet , Blacktron 1+2 , Spyrius etc.)

https://www.promobricks.de/lego-legacy-heroes-unboxed-space/109204/

That game feels like such a tease, having all those references but no LEGO sets to go with it.

I know right? Lego Worlds also had a Space expansion and I bought the game for that alone. And now this game also gets glorious Space stuff. So somebody knows Space is awesome and well loved, just not those making sets. :(

[danth]

2 hours ago, pombe said:

The masses don't want new classic space sets.

I can't really argue with this. Which is why I push the idea of CLASSIC. THEMED. CREATOR. SETS. If there's one big Space set a year, with the parts to build a ship, base, and rover, and a few printed parts, it would probably satisfy demand. And provide the parts so that fans could build out their own "theme" of sets.

Still though. Nobody wanted Ninjago or Nexo Knights until Lego made them, made cartoons for them, and put them on TV. I think Lego could do that for a new Space theme, but there's no point when they have Star Wars. It would be self competition, and Lego would get an epic smack down from Disney like nobody would believe.

2 hours ago, pombe said:

And so here we are.  Maybe I'm wrong?  I hope I'm wrong.  Please tell me I'm wrong.  But my conclusions make sense based on what I've seen.

I don't think you're wrong. I've seen amazing Space MOCs on Ideas get almost no support, much to my dismay. Although I think a lot of people there support what they think should be popular, not what they actually want. This is why half or more of the sets that reach 10k are essentially the same as the last few IDEAS sets. Like, all the ramshackle buildings after the Fishing Store, all the 80's cars after the Ecto-1, all the TV sets after the Central Perk. It's kinda ridiculous.

I will say that I don't believe any stories about what themes sold poorly. We don't really know how Galaxy Squad fared compared to expectations, and what we do hear is all based on anecdote. Yet I can't count how many times I've seen Star Wars or Marvel sets warming the shelves and marked down. And nobody ever claims that they don't sell.

At least we can take comfort that Benny's Space Squad sold out everywhere.

I can only speak for myself, but I bought multiple copies of the Exo Suit and Benny's SSS. But if you got them when they came out, it wasn't a braggable purchase. Anyone could get them. It's the vintage sets that get the facebook likes and inspire envy.

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by danth

[Vindicare]

13 hours ago, Professor Thaum said:

Those were really bad ideas, nothing compare to the old space classic.

True lego lovers shouldn't even have a look to franchised sets. (read : fleshy figs)

NB : the scientifical attuned lego space sets are really great, thanks @MAB for the reminder

I disagree. The ADU vehicles were quite good in my opinion. Earth Defense HQ is great, with an added Vic Viper no less. The Jet-Copter is a fun, slightly futuristic design. Even the alien ships are fun, classic(in the genre) designs. Galaxy Squad was just as good as well. 

11 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

And right now Castle is probably the lesser represented of all 3 classic subjects, but also got some fantasy infusions via Ninjago/Hidden Side.

 

As I was reading comments above yours here, I was thinking Castle is low man on the totem pole. Look at the LEGO Movie. We get a Classic Spaceman on the main team & Pirate...not quite traditional, but Pirate nonetheless. Poor Castle is relegated to a blip of a side character. 

 

 

On the subject of Benny, it’s clear LEGO hasn’t forgotten about Classic Space, as evident by him. Then we get his Spaceship set. Then he & friends in the sequel, albeit a too small set, the “toolbox” set with a simplified Classic Space set, and this upcoming book with a brand new color Classic Spaceman. Why that doesn’t translate to more appetizing sets being delivered? It’s easy to blame SW & that could partially be true. Since movies releasing seem to be the problem, maybe we’ll see a return soon to in-house space. Then the folks who wanted Space back can complain because it isn’t the Space they wanted. 

[Lord Insanity]

16 hours ago, astral brick said:

Do we even realise how bad the situation is for Space? We are craving a 49 usd/eur creator set, hoping that it will have some known colour scheme (very unlikely considering what happened with the Rover).

We should be happy about a spaceship released in 2014, not even a Ucs, a 100 usd model, hoping for another Benny's cameo in some new Lego movie in order to be entitled to another Space set (because, apparently, without a movie or a tv series customers aren't able to understand how to buy a polybag). I am forgetting the minifigures set and the Idea that miraculously passed the review in 2014. 

The situation for Space is surreal. 

I didn't say I wanted a known color scheme I said I wanted a useful color scheme.  Space camper van is not the style I wanted.  Sure one of the old space color schemes would be awesome but I would be just as happy with the one from Sweet Mayhem's Systarship.  Those windows in trans-pink would be so nice.  I am amazed at so many space fan's general dismissal of the Systarship.  That thing is by far and away the best "rounded" space ship ever.  And a purple skinned alien is one of the few places the mini-dolls actually make sense.  (They're not the same species as human.)

 

6 hours ago, danth said:

You realize you're in the Sci-Fi forum right?

Most of those are literally in the City theme. They're clearly not Sci-Fi, but NASA-inspired. Heck, the rover set is even set on Earth. It should have been named Rover Test Drive.

Nobody in here is arguing that we don't have enough NASA sets.

So the current City Space theme is a near future semi-realistic approach to what we think space exploration will be in the next 20 years or so.  Basically exactly what early classic space was for its time.  The major difference is today the average person (read child) is far more knowledgeable about what is in fact realistic.  Why care about how it is branded?  Cool space equipment is cool space equipment.  Not to mention that new helmet that locks in the oversized visor is a godsend.  Those look awesome with the old chrome gold and blue visors.

 

6 hours ago, danth said:

Personally I don't require any specific color schemes, but I will say that, every Lego Space theme that was ever made, other than Galaxy Squad and Alien Invasion (which is arguably not even a Space theme), had colored windscreens.

Colored windscreens were, for most of Lego history, the first thing you saw in a Lego set that signified you weren't looking at some conventional earth vehicle, but instead something out of this world. They're what made a space base a space base and not an airport. They made a space rover a space rover and not an earth truck. 

Obviously you don't need colored windscreens to achieve this but it sure helps and it always looks way cooler. I mean, it's why Nexo Knights used only colored windscreens.

That I agree with.  While I don't mind trans-gray, I absolutely despise trans-light blue as a window color.  (I love the color for lightning, ice, crystals, etc.)  Every time trans-light blue is used as a window it should be any other color.  That was my biggest complaint about Rex's stuff from the Lego Movie 2.  All those nasty trans-light blue windows should have been trans-neon green or that awesome metallic green they used for his visor.  It made the color scheme of Rex's equipment fail spectacularly for me.  Unlike the Pop-Up Party Bus (also a spaceship) which had those awesome trans-purple windows.  Then they ruined it with the Systar fighter which uses lousy trans-light blue.

Futuristic space sets should have colored windows.  Period.

[Merlo]

Shouldn't be too difficult to order the parts and have the space camper van in some exciting color scheme.

As an adult my biggest desire for castle/pirates/space would be a string of different sized sets that you can connect (in case of buildings physically, like with old castle or modulars) into a big amazing diorama.

 

[JintaiZ]

7 hours ago, Merlo said:

Shouldn't be too difficult to order the parts and have the space camper van in some exciting color scheme.

As an adult my biggest desire for castle/pirates/space would be a string of different sized sets that you can connect (in case of buildings physically, like with old castle or modulars) into a big amazing diorama.

 

The printed parts costs a lot of money...

[TeriXeri]

7 hours ago, Merlo said:

As an adult my biggest desire for castle/pirates/space would be a string of different sized sets that you can connect (in case of buildings physically, like with old castle or modulars) into a big amazing diorama.

Agreed, and LEGO even still does that concept in other themes, 2020 Ninjago connects to form a game board, 2018-2020 harry potter connects, and some 3-in-1 buildings did as well, so they haven't forgotten.

The 2013 King's Castle walls could be re-arranged as well, there just hasn't been a classic castle theme since.

Nexo Knights Fortrex could connect to the Library wall but they sadly never made more sets for that expansion.

 

I never got many classic/80s/90s large spaceships but I loved seeing how they could connect and change as well in the manuals, like Space Police 2 Galactic Mediator or, Ice Planet Deep Freeze Defender.

Some pictures I googled :

 

I just like the idea of sets/modules connecting or be expandable, especially smaller ones with generic figures, because then you can get multiples.

80s Castle had several of those wall sections that could form larger walls, or expand onto the larger Castle sets.

 

The concept of connectivity with Technic pins is still here in 2020, but the non-licensed Spaceship or Castle sets ulitizing it are not right now.

 

Nexo Knights, City Space , LEGO Movie sets did have some modules, of mainly smaller ships that could attach or fly off. 

I loved Clay's Rumble Blade basicly being a 4-in-1 vehicle, with a flyer, 2 motorcycles and a gun platform with wheels.

Edited September 23, 2020 by TeriXeri

[JintaiZ]

@TeriXeri-NEXO Knights wasn't that popular, and it has came to an end, too...

[TeriXeri]

Just now, JintaiZ said:

@TeriXeri-NEXO Knights wasn't that popular, and it has came to an end, too...

I know, that theme brought me back into LEGO after 15 years of not buying/getting any new sets.

I personally loved it, except maybe now I rather see some more location based sets instead as there were lots and lots of vehicles in that theme.

Still haven't taken the sets apart but I can see great sci-fi potential in the parts.

 

[JintaiZ]

2 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

I know, that theme brought me back into LEGO after 15 years of not buying/getting any new sets.

I personally loved it, except maybe now I rather see some more location based sets instead as there were lots and lots of vehicles in that theme.

Still haven't taken the sets apart but I can see great sci-fi potential in the parts.

 

I agree with you there. There's been TONS of Space sets released this year.

[icm]

2 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

I never got many classic/80s/90s large spaceships but I loved seeing how they could connect and change as well in the manuals, like Space Police 2 Galactic Mediator or, Ice Planet Deep Freeze Defender. [...]

I just like the idea of sets/modules connecting or be expandable, especially smaller ones with generic figures, because then you can get multiples. [...] City Space [...] did have some modules, of mainly smaller ships that could attach or fly off. 

I know, I know, I know ... City Space isn't real Space, so it doesn't count and isn't relevant to this discussion ... but when I was a kid and into my teens I was really into Solar System exploration and the sort of recognizably near-future spaceflight in things like Thunderbirds and 2001.  So when I saw set 60229 Rocket Assembly and Transport,

I saw this episode of Thunderbirds ("Day of Disaster")

And when I saw how all the sets connect together like this:

(aka a Seriously Huge Investment in Parts on my account last summer), I saw things like this (respectively the spaceships from 2001's Mission to Mars, 2015's The Martian, 1998's Deep Impact, and 2009's Avatar)

https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Interstellar_Vehicle_Venture_Star?file=Isv.jpg

When I was a kid I would write stories that were sort of like a cross between Star Wars and Ender's Game, filtered through the technology of 2001 and early-2000s NASA concepts, and I would design my own spaceships for those stories.  That's why, having grown up studying spaceships enough to know where fact ends and fiction begins in near-future sci-fi, in my mind I'm just so happy with the 2019 City Space line as the near-future sci-fi "Interplanetary Patrol" Space line I dreamed of as a kid.  I know that many of you in this thread have different ideas about what you want in a Space theme, so ... now that Lego has released the Space line of my dreams and I've been fortunate enough to get the whole thing, I'm happy to stand aside and let each of you get the Space line of your dreams.  Whenever it comes.  Space, come back, we want you!  (Just not to the exclusion of NASA space or City space or Star Wars space, please ... we want them all!)

[MAB]

14 hours ago, Lord Insanity said:

So the current City Space theme is a near future semi-realistic approach to what we think space exploration will be in the next 20 years or so.  Basically exactly what early classic space was for its time.  The major difference is today the average person (read child) is far more knowledgeable about what is in fact realistic.  Why care about how it is branded?  Cool space equipment is cool space equipment.  Not to mention that new helmet that locks in the oversized visor is a godsend. 

 

I agree. I was 8/9 when Classic Space started and some of the sets were a little bit Sci-Fi, but a lot of them were fairly believable close to realistic. So this was a bit sci-fi although not too dissimilar to some military aircraft of the time (Lockheed Blackbird and Nighthawk) so not too much of a stretch of the imagination, aside from the colours.

 

 

but these were reasonably realistic vehicles we were used to seeing from TV at the time

 

Of course, the colours were a bit weird but then we were used to things being weird colours in LEGO. Bright red, yellow and blue houses and cars, and so on.

 

I think also you have to look at what else was available at the time, back in '79-'80 there were a few universal sets, Scala, Fabuland, Town type sets, Classic Space and a bit of technic. Classic Space was essentially an action / adventure theme of its time (although in a sense so was town and even Fabuland). There was very little internal competition within the LEGO brand for Classic Space - for figure based play it was Town with human figures or slightly more fantasy town with Fabuland. That is why I think other non-space themes like Ninjago are just as responsible for keeping sci-fi space off the shelves as Star Wars is. There are many action themes that compete with it. LEGO may not have had the Star Wars license back then, but I remember using Classic Space sets with way out of scale Kenner figures to (badly) recreate SW play, as did other kids. Back then, there were so few themes you used all your toys together. LEGO wasn't that popular back then, with relatively low overall toy market share. It was a shrewd decision to start doing licenses which stopped kids playing with other toys with their LEGO, as licensing meant that LEGO provided the characters.

LEGO could of course drop the SW (and super heroes and HP and so on) license, and Mega Construx would probably pick it up (and the others). LEGO unlicensed space would be competing for shelf space and sales with Mega Construx Star Wars.

 

[danth]

22 minutes ago, MAB said:

I agree. I was 8/9 when Classic Space started and some of the sets were a little bit Sci-Fi, but a lot of them were fairly believable close to realistic. So this was a bit sci-fi although not too dissimilar to some military aircraft of the time (Lockheed Blackbird and Nighthawk) so not too much of a stretch of the imagination, aside from the colours.

I was actually going to disagree, using the same picture as an example!

I mean, I see where you guys are coming from. This set is primitive by today's standards, sure. But in so many ways, this set has things that were just simply not even close to "near-future realism".

For one, we've never been close to having "space ships", i.e., ships that can fly around on the moon, and land vertically on the moon. Even the most recent City Space sets have nothing like that, 40 years later. Also, moon bases with paved, lighted landing pads? That's nothing we've ever been close to, especially in 1978. And again, even 2019 City Space has nothing like that. Refueling and launching rockets from computerized moon bases? Hovercraft? No way was that near-future realism.

I mean, if Classic Space was supposed to be near-future realism, where is the earth-based shuttle launch facility? Every realistic, or near-realistic Space theme has had one. It's always the flagship set. But it's missing completely from Classic Space.

So I have to disagree. Classic Space was "primitive" in the sense that set design and parts were more limited in 1978, but it didn't evoke "primitive" space travel. They had freaking space ships and moon bases. That's far future stuff, closer to Star Wars than City Space.

Edited September 23, 2020 by danth

[astral brick]

21 hours ago, pombe said:

I submitted my classic space related project at about the same time that Peter Reid's Galaxy Explorer redux ran out of time.  That should have been my first clue.  This is a MOC that LEGO had displayed for a year in their masterpiece gallery in the LEGO House.  It failed to reach even 3,000 supporters out of the 10,000 required to reach the review stage.

Unfortunately I remember it very well. In my opinion with Space we reached a point of no return, the generational turnover is gone, the old customers don't care anymore, the younger ones aren't enough to support the projects. The result is that, due to the lack of products, the theme remains mostly unknown to new generations, a dog chasing its tail that only a decision from above can stop.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by astral brick

[icm]

I'd say that later Classic Space was pretty far-out in the galaxy, but the 1978-1983 waves that define "Classic Space" for most people are pretty close to the aesthetic and technological level of Space:1999, which features a Kubrick-inspired moonbase but then goes completely off the rails with regards to realism when it sends the Moon spinning off into space in order to encounter the alien of the week many light years from Earth.  The limitations of wedge plates and slopes give the larger spaceships a sleeker look than the bundles of tubes and spheres in Space:1999, which lends the overall setting a bit more of a far-future feel.  But then again, the few examples of official media that Lego produced for Classic Space, circa 1985, gave it a much more far-future setting with huge exploration starships in remote corners of the galaxy, like Star Trek.

[MAB]

16 minutes ago, danth said:

I was actually going to disagree, using the same picture as an example!

I mean, I see where you guys are coming from. This set is primitive by today's standards, sure. But in so many ways, this set has things that were just simply not even close to "near-future realism".

For one, we've never been close to having "space ships", i.e., ships that can fly around on the moon, and land vertically on the moon. Even the most recent City Space sets have nothing like that, 40 years later. Also, moon bases with paved, lighted landing pads? That's nothing we've ever been close to, especially in 1978. And again, even 2019 City Space has nothing like that. Refueling and launching rockets from computerized moon bases? Hovercraft? No way was that near-future realism.

I mean, if Classic Space was supposed to be near-future realism, where is the earth-based shuttle launch facility? Every realistic, or near-realistic Space theme has had one. It's always the flagship set. But it's missing completely from Classic Space.

So I have to disagree. Classic Space was "primitive" in the sense that set design and parts were more limited in 1978, but it didn't evoke "primitive" space travel. They had freaking space ships and moon bases. That's far future stuff, closer to Star Wars than City Space.

Although we didn't get them there was often talk of lunar bases and so on on semi-serious science programs back in the 70s and 80s. In the 70s NASA was planning to have a moon base by about 2000. They often showed concept art that was similar to then modern military aircraft for travel between bases.

Combined with realism in other ways, it makes a child think it is believable. For example, I'd say this was pretty realistic.

Given this had been used a decade or so before.

 

By combining elements that were real at the time with some that are probably more sci-fi but discussed by serious scientists (like NASA's lunar bases were) then it did feel like that some of the ideas were not so far off. They may not have happened, but they felt like they might happen given the rate of change of space discovery back then.

[icm]

The 918 / 924 / 928 are pretty firmly spaceships far more advanced than anything in late-70s NASA concepts, but they bear a passing resemblance to some of the more ambitious Space Shuttle proposals.  (Space Shuttle was designed in the mid-70s.)

Clearly there's not a one-to-one correspondence.  There's plenty of wiggle room for one kid in 1978 to see the 918 / 924 / 928 as starships akin to those in Star Wars, but there's also room for another kid in 1978 to see them as spaceships akin to those in NASA concept art.  That's the great thing about the first wave of Classic Space, compared to later waves.  The Galaxy Commander from 1983, and later the Gamma V Laser Craft and FX Star Patroller from 1985 look a lot more fanciful.  Then the Taurean Ore Carrier / Cosmic Fleet Voyager from 1987 and later ships like the Blacktron flagship and the Space Police and Ice Planet flagships don't look like anything NASA might build; they're clearly starships.

Edited September 23, 2020 by icm

[TeriXeri]

1 hour ago, icm said:

I know, I know, I know ... City Space isn't real Space, so it doesn't count and isn't relevant to this discussion ... but when I was a kid and into my teens I was really into Solar System exploration and the sort of recognizably near-future spaceflight in things like Thunderbirds and 2001.  So when I saw set 60229 Rocket Assembly and Transport,

I'm not the one counting out City Space, the 2019 wave was very interesting, I didn't get the largest sets but I loved the people pack and the station sets, now I got a decent crew to man whatever Space base/vehicles I'll end up with.

I don't consider it a " classic 70s-90s space era" theme but still a great modern take, and for City it was one of the better subthemes of recent times, even with some flaws like weird printed cockpits for the shuttle or rover sets (didn't get that one as I had the 2017 3-in-1 set)

31 minutes ago, MAB said:

Given this had been used a decade or so before.

 

By combining elements that were real at the time with some that are probably more sci-fi but discussed by serious scientists (like NASA's lunar bases were) then it did feel like that some of the ideas were not so far off. They may not have happened, but they felt like they might happen given the rate of change of space discovery back then.

This one came even closer imo , but also came out 6 years later then 889.

 
 

But yes, Classic Space certainly had some elements of what was possible, or thought to be possible then, just like now, we see a lot more LEGO Drones and Rovers compared to back then.

I can also certainly see some of the Classic Space degins possibly being influenced by the Cold War era large rocket launchers, also media/movies played a role, a lot of Bond movies during that time (60s-early 90s) were about Soviet vs the West, or a space-based villain.

Edited September 23, 2020 by TeriXeri

[MAB]

9 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

 

This one came even closer imo , but also came out 6 years later then 889.

 
 

But yes, Classic Space certainly had some elements of what was possible, or thought to be possible then, just like now, we see a lot more LEGO Drones and Rovers compared to back then.

I only really remember playing with the early classic space sets, I had grown out of Lego by the time that one was released. Maybe because it had become too much fantasy by then, something not being repeated now. Or maybe because home computers were taking off, and they were more interesting to me.

There was a lot of science fiction becoming science fact back then. Sci Fi Buck Rogers became real and a few years later everyone was wowed at the LA Olympics. Back then it seemed more likely that we would be flying around with jetpacks whereas personal video communication devices on your wrist were complete fantasy. Strange how things work out.

[TeriXeri]

15 minutes ago, MAB said:

There was a lot of science fiction becoming science fact back then. Sci Fi Buck Rogers became real and a few years later everyone was wowed at the LA Olympics. Back then it seemed more likely that we would be flying around with jetpacks whereas personal video communication devices on your wrist were complete fantasy. Strange how things work out.

It's interesting how we see quite a few wingsuits in LEGO now (Nexo knights/Sky Police) clearly seems influenced by the developments in the 2010s until now in technological development in safer/sustained rocket suit flight.

Especially people like Yves Rossy's style Wingpack.

Also a lot more sets in recent years have minifigures using 1x2 tiles representing smartphones, and the appearance of more Electric cars, even Octan-E branded.

Now, I wonder when the "Flying-V" shaped passenger airplane will appear in LEGO form, as that's the next potential future we're looking at for Aircraft design.

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by TeriXeri

[JintaiZ]

@TeriXeri - But classic space has much more noglastia