LEGO Creator 2021 - Rumors, Speculation, and Discussion

[AViewToALego]

Seems like ya'll have failed to mention the new Build Your Own Monster set (30564). It's a neat little "parts pack", if you will, with lots of green parts like these plants:

 

Perfect for the Forest Builder!!

[danth]

I think that's technically a "Classics" set. It was discussed on some other thread I think.

[icm]

@Former Itaria No Shintaku

What I'm most curious about with the space shuttle, based on the piece count, is whether it's a City-sized minifig-scale shuttle Orbiter like set 31066 from 2017 but larger and more detailed, or a midi-scale shuttle Orbiter like set 31091 from 2019 but with the external tank and boosters to complete the Stack, or a Town-sized minifig-scale shuttle Stack like the one in set 6339 from 1995.  Based on the rumored parts count of about 480 and price of $50 USD, I can imagine any one of those options.  Or is it something completely different?

Edited February 9, 2021 by icm

[danth]

Well, the Space Mining Mech is out, and it is indeed piloted by some sort of computer/AI. Based on the size, it seems like it was designed to be replaced by a minifig.

[hagridshut]

High quality renders of the Space Mining Mech are up on the LEGO website: https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/space-mining-mech-31115

Says: $24.99, Coming Soon on March 1, 2021

Full review: https://www.brothers-brick.com/2021/02/17/exploring-other-worlds-with-lego-creator-3-in-1-31115-space-mining-mech-review/

I wasn't a big fan of this initially, but having seen the close-up photos, I think it's a winner. 

The primary build has some very nice features.  I wasn't expecting that the mech could accommodate a minifigure, but Brother's Brick states that the AI model can be swapped out for a minifig.  The jetpack is a nice design.  I like the fact that the color scheme is consistent with the Space Rover Explorer.  

Overall, I am somewhat reminded of the Futuron Futuron Strategic Pursuer 6848-1

With the Space Rover Explorer, Cyber Drone, and Space Mining Mech, it seems like LEGO has a mini-Space theme revival going!

[Bricked1980]

Leaks of the new creator Ferris Wheel and Space shuttle are now online. They look pretty good, especially the shuttle.

One of the alternate builds of the ferris wheel looks as if it is a fairground dodgem car ride. Can't make out what the third build is.

[Polarlicht]

1 hour ago, Bricked1980 said:

Leaks of the new creator Ferris Wheel and Space shuttle are now online. They look pretty good, especially the shuttle.

One of the alternate builds of the ferris wheel looks as if it is a fairground dodgem car ride. Can't make out what the third build is.

Do you have links please?

[Kallego]

1 hour ago, Bricked1980 said:

Leaks of the new creator Ferris Wheel and Space shuttle are now online. They look pretty good, especially the shuttle.

One of the alternate builds of the ferris wheel looks as if it is a fairground dodgem car ride. Can't make out what the third build is.

It's a swing I guess. Or three swings next to each other to be exactly. I think it's a ship swing...

[RichardGoring]

It's a shame that the Ferris wheel appears to use the same colour scheme as the Creator Expert one. It's a good colour scheme, but maybe a missed opportunity to do something different. The alternative builds look really different though, which is great.

[danth]

Damn. That's a lot of space shuttles, Lego. The entire City Space line, a Creator Export set later, this, the recent Creator space shuttle and rover, all the recent NASA/Space-Ex style Ideas sets.

Can a multi-decade Lego fan get some sci-fi Space breadcrumbs?

Oh wait I guess we are getting some bread crumbs, with the Cyber Drone, and the strangely NASA-colored Space Mining Mech with no minifigure...

Ok, how about a nice, large, appropriately-colored sci-fi Space set WITH minifigs?

[Bricked1980]

3 hours ago, Coolusername said:

Do you have links please?

I just stumbled on the pics on Instagram earlier today.

[JintaiZ]

Ferris Wheel looks great, and the alternative builds also look nice. However, I have noticed a huge increase in the prices of Creator 3-in-1 sets...

[hagridshut]

On 2/18/2021 at 11:57 AM, danth said:

Damn. That's a lot of space shuttles, Lego. The entire City Space line, a Creator Export set later, this, the recent Creator space shuttle and rover, all the recent NASA/Space-Ex style Ideas sets.

Can a multi-decade Lego fan get some sci-fi Space breadcrumbs?

Oh wait I guess we are getting some bread crumbs, with the Cyber Drone, and the strangely NASA-colored Space Mining Mech with no minifigure...

Ok, how about a nice, large, appropriately-colored sci-fi Space set WITH minifigs?

I don't know why LEGO has such an obsession with Space Shuttles.  They're old news.  The last STS mission was something like 10 years ago. 

There's a lot of exciting things going on with space now: modern SpaceX Dragon capsules and reusable Falcon 9 rockets, SpaceX Starship prototypes, Blue Origin's lunar lander concept and New Glen rockets.  

Real life Space may soon look a lot more like old SciFi than many people expect, especially with the proliferation of vertically landing rocket ships.  

[icm]

I'd say the reason is that Space Shuttle is by far the most toyetic of real crewed spacecraft. There's the cockpit, the cargo bay with opening doors, satellite, robot arm, it's got wings and wheels where you can add flaps or retractable landing gear, then there's the shuttle stack to put together.  Plus it's easy to build with wedge plates and relatively simple bricks and slopes.  Capsules and rockets need cylinders and cones, which are really hard to build with Legos, they don't have a preferred orientation for swooshing that's nearly as distinctive as that of something with wings and wheels, and their play pattern of assembling and separating the stages during launch is already present in the shuttle stack.  I'd love to see more spacecraft represented in Lego, but it's easy for me to imagine why they keep returning to the Space Shuttle.

[hagridshut]

On 2/21/2021 at 7:35 PM, icm said:

I'd say the reason is that Space Shuttle is by far the most toyetic of real crewed spacecraft. There's the cockpit, the cargo bay with opening doors, satellite, robot arm, it's got wings and wheels where you can add flaps or retractable landing gear, then there's the shuttle stack to put together.  Plus it's easy to build with wedge plates and relatively simple bricks and slopes.  Capsules and rockets need cylinders and cones, which are really hard to build with Legos, they don't have a preferred orientation for swooshing that's nearly as distinctive as that of something with wings and wheels, and their play pattern of assembling and separating the stages during launch is already present in the shuttle stack.  I'd love to see more spacecraft represented in Lego, but it's easy for me to imagine why they keep returning to the Space Shuttle.

Those are good points. 

It is just discouraging to me, because I do not have a favorable opinion of the Space Shuttle.  If LEGO wants to inspire children to explore space, the Shuttle doesn't seem like the best representative of that enterprise.  

The Space Shuttle never lived up to its promise of making access to Low Earth Orbit inexpensive and commonplace.  It was overly complicated, had serious design flaws resulting in two fatal accidents, and cost NASA a lot of money over 3 decades.  While I must credit the engineers and scientists who managed to make the STS work, despite such serious problems, I cannot help but feel that the program as a whole set back the U.S. efforts to send actual people to distant worlds.  

[Shiva]

Should have been able to refit the orbiter for longer stays in space. How long was the longest stay for a Shuttle in space, not docked to either Mir nor ISS. ?

[icm]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Duration_Orbiter

This page will answer your questions.

[danth]

Brickset is listing a new polybag with the "Creator" tag; not sure if it's really Creator, or where to best discuss this. But it's interesting. It's a steam punk flying contraption. Or to use steam punk lingo, some sort of ornithopter?

https://brickset.com/sets/11947-1/Time

[RichardGoring]

9 hours ago, danth said:

Brickset is listing a new polybag with the "Creator" tag; not sure if it's really Creator, or where to best discuss this. But it's interesting. It's a steam punk flying contraption. Or to use steam punk lingo, some sort of ornithopter?

https://brickset.com/sets/11947-1/Time

Looks cool. Is it supposed to be a time machine?

[Alexandrina]

20 hours ago, danth said:

Brickset is listing a new polybag with the "Creator" tag; not sure if it's really Creator, or where to best discuss this. But it's interesting. It's a steam punk flying contraption. Or to use steam punk lingo, some sort of ornithopter?

That seems to have come a bit out of left-field. Thematically it doesn't fit any existing themes - it reminds me of what the old Time Cruisers might have evolved into, but even that's tenuous - so Creator is probably the right place for it. Espeically if that's the heading Brickset has it under.

Possible backdoor pilot for a new steampunk theme? 

[hagridshut]

JANGBRiCKS review of 31115: Space Mining Mech

The super tall alternate build is my favorite, because it's a bit unconventional and I like the brick-built alien pilot.  

Jang also shows that a minifigure can sit under the canopy of any of the 3 builds.

[danth]

2 hours ago, hagridshut said:

The super tall alternate build is my favorite, because it's a bit unconventional and I like the brick-built alien pilot.  

Funny how different people have such different takes.

From the images, it looks...very goofy to me, if I'm being kind. Something that might be cool if a kid built it, but not up to the standards of a real set.

[hagridshut]

4 hours ago, danth said:

From the images, it looks...very goofy to me, if I'm being kind. Something that might be cool if a kid built it, but not up to the standards of a real set.

I think that it appears goofy because the proportions are so unusual for a LEGO mech. 

I have the "Igor" Iron Man mech from the Iron Man Hall of Armor set on my desk, and it's fairly square: the height of "Igor" measures roughly the same as the span of its shoulders.  The primary build of the Space Mining Mech appears to have similar proportions.  The skinny alternate build, on the other hand, is absurdly tall in comparison to its width.  Some reviewers noted that this alternate build was difficult to pose because its height made it unstable and easy to tip over.  

The weirdness of the build appeals to me, as it stands out from more conventional mech builds.  

Edited March 9, 2021 by hagridshut

[danth]

4 hours ago, hagridshut said:

The weirdness of the build appeals to me, as it stands out from more conventional mech builds.

Weirdness is good, I will give you that.

Also I really like this thing so I have no room to talk:

[TeriXeri]

Built the Wild Lion set recently, while small (and only 2 studs wide at the rear), I think it's a great model, very posable in standing/sitting/lying down.