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

[Black Falcon]

3 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Space is now also in Duplo set? What is going on?

We have seen it across not only City, but also Technic, Duplo, Dreamzzz, Friends, Creator 3in1 and Classic.

https://ramblingbrick.com/2023/12/03/there-is-space-for-everyone-in-2024s-lego-catalogue/

Honestly, the Duplo one doesn´t surprise me - Dreamzzz on the other hand was more suprising to me - wouldn´t have thought they would go even in their inhouse-license-themes. On the other hand, dreamzzz kinda is made for it.

1 hour ago, tafkatb said:

It may, in part, have to do with the Artemis program. While there doesn't seem to be any direct tie-in so far, it could just be that LEGO is anticipating increased public interest in space travel. That's just speculation on my part, though - perhaps the best answer to "why now?" is "why not now?"

We are still missing an icons set which is supposed to be space, so that could be an Artemis-set.

[Lyichir]

49 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

Honestly, the Duplo one doesn´t surprise me - Dreamzzz on the other hand was more suprising to me - wouldn´t have thought they would go even in their inhouse-license-themes. On the other hand, dreamzzz kinda is made for it.

We are still missing an icons set which is supposed to be space, so that could be an Artemis-set.

TBH with Dreamzzz it's not that surprising (since one of the major characters introduced this year, Mr. Oz, is already mainly themed around space). It would've been more novel if Ninjago had featured a space set, though I suppose with the year just starting it's not too late for that to happen.

[jonwil]

Do we know which of the friends is in the Mars base?

 

5 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

It would've been more novel if Ninjago had featured a space set

IIRC there was something out there about why Ninjago wont go into space.

 

[Lion King]

I’m getting less and less surprised as there are me and more space-themed sets overtime, such as City, Tecnic, Duplo, Freinds, DreamZzzz (kinda?), Creatore 3in1, Icons and even CMF.  

I’m sure Benny is very excited to see what’s going on in 2024. Spaceship, spaceship, SPACESHIP! 

[Black Falcon]

1 hour ago, Lyichir said:

TBH with Dreamzzz it's not that surprising (since one of the major characters introduced this year, Mr. Oz, is already mainly themed around space). It would've been more novel if Ninjago had featured a space set, though I suppose with the year just starting it's not too late for that to happen.

Well they had the space bus already, but I just wouldn´t have thought they also would get the icon on any of the sets. For Ninjago, I don´t think that fits the current theme. But well you never know

[Lyichir]

2 hours ago, jonwil said:

Do we know which of the friends is in the Mars base?

It includes Olivia (one of the main characters from earlier years) and Julian, both returning from the 41713 Olivia's Space Academy, along with a new character, Aveline. Interestingly, it's the first set since the new cast was introduced that none of the eight new "Friends" appear in a set, though Nova does "cameo" on one of the stickers, sending a call/video message from Earth (the other end of said call appearing in 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle).

[Classic_Spaceman]

10 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

It's quite interesting that the 4+ set is only one that directly shows the process of using crystals to recharge those power cells due to the big printed panel.

There is a screen in the base that shows how the crystals and plants are being combined to power the batteries. 
 

9 hours ago, legoturtle said:

That Star Wars theme has taken sci-fi space themes place.

IMO, Ninjago takes Space’s place more than Star Wars does; while SW is obviously more focused on spacecraft, Ninjago has things like mechs, jets, off-road vehicles, and just an overall sci-fi tone that overlaps more with what we typically see from Space themes. Consider this: If the new City Space command rover were recoloured in red/black, had more gold trim and dragon sculpture detailing, some flags, and a temple on the back (in place of the crane), it would look like a new Bounty variant (Space Bounty?). 
 

8 hours ago, legoturtle said:

also I would say the UFO phenomenon which is going on in USA. Congress wants more transparency for the topic. 

I doubt that LEGO is paying any attention to that; even if they were, it takes around 1-2 years to design sets, so we would not see any City sets with flying saucers until at least 2025. The Artemis missions are the more likely inspiration, IMO. 
 

6 hours ago, jonwil said:

IIRC there was something out there about why Ninjago wont go into space.

Tommy Andreasen was opposed to it. While he is no longer working on the show, it feels like Dragons Rising is going in a different direction (especially with no more themed seasons), so I doubt that we will be getting space-Ninja anytime soon. 
 

[legoturtle]

When I saw this video, I start to understand how big this thing is. Space is everywhere...
 

 

[danth]

Man are these all really coming out in less than a month? My only regret is not being able to get them for Christmas this year.

[Lion King]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Man are these all really coming out in less than a month? My only regret is not being able to get them for Christmas this year.

You still have a plent of time… next Christmas then!

[danth]

31 minutes ago, Lion King said:

You still have a plent of time… next Christmas then!

I can't last that long. 😁

Maybe I'll have a Holly Jolly New Years day instead...if I can find these on day one.

[Umbra-Manis]

Friends is giving us another little treat, the option to have classic globe helmets in Trans Orange:

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, Umbra-Manis said:

Friends is giving us another little treat, the option to have classic globe helmets in Trans Orange:

Someday I really want to use those transparent tube slide elements in a space MOC as well! They have a cool futuristic look that I think would work great either as cosmetic details like fuel hoses hoses or as a way for characters to move between sections of a spaceship or habitat.

[Lyichir]

11 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Someday I really want to use those transparent tube slide elements in a space MOC as well! They have a cool futuristic look that I think would work great either as cosmetic details like fuel hoses hoses or as a way for characters to move between sections of a spaceship or habitat.

I saw a neat MOC at BrickFair Fredericksburg last year that did the former... used the trans light blue tubes, strung lights through them, and filled the rest with 1x1 round plates. They made the lights pulse in sequence so that it looked like something glowing was "flowing" through the tubes.

[Aanchir]

On 12/2/2023 at 4:15 PM, The_Fiery_Rooster said:

You're probably right on those being alien plants, but notice how some batteries use pink cylinders vs purple ones (base launchpad is the most obvious one, also station hover-bike garage), so they are distinct. Maybe it's meant to be a kind of bio-fuel?

The LEGO.com "Play Zone" page for 60434 refers to them as "new crystal-botanic batteries", and in this image you can see both a computer screen showing how the batteries are made using alien plant life and crystals, and a machine being used for that purpose.

The pages for other sets like 60430 and 60431 refer simply to "power-generating energy crystals", so it's possible that the purple fuel cells are weaker ones that use the crystals alone for power, while the pink ones are stronger fuel cells that also incorporate organic compounds from the alien plant life. Alternatively, the different colors may simply indicate whether the batteries have a full or partial charge.

[legoturtle]

Welcome to the space base where the crew is preparing for another epic mission. The admiral is in command, and the rocket ship is ready on the launchpad. Scientists have tested the new crystal-botanic batteries and the tower crane is loading them into the ship’s cargo hold for delivery to an orbiting space station. Grab your space gear from the carousel, climb aboard and prepare for blastoff!

Amazing that we get some story...

[Aanchir]

I was just looking at some more images of the City range, and here is my current understanding of the spacesuit colors:

• Warm Gold: Admiral (this one is confirmed in 60434's Play Zone page linked above)
• Earth Blue: Blue team leader. She has a face tattoo of a constellation.
  • Dark Azur: Blue team crew and robots. This team seems to be made up of scouts, explorers, and pilots.
• Earth Green: Green team leader. They have a scanner or microcomputer of some kind over one eye.
  • Bright Green: Green team crew and robots. This team seems to be focused on scientific research work (like geology, botany, chemistry, and xenobiology).
• Dark Orange: Orange team leader. He has a face tattoo of a lightning bolt.
  • Flame Yellowish Orange: Orange team crew and robots. This team seems to be focused on mining, construction, and repair work.

The team leaders and admiral appear in just one set each. So far the blue team has the most robots: a humanoid robot in 60432, an autonomous rover in 60431, and a drone which can attach to their backpacks as a jet booster in 60430. The orange team has a tracked construction robot in 60248 and a repair drone in 60433, while the green team has just one tracked robot in 60434. But of course, it's possible that there may be other sets later in the year with additional robots or crew members.

Edited December 5, 2023 by Aanchir

[TeriXeri]

So Blue, Green and Orange are basicly the 3 roles Star Trek (mainly based on The Next Generation era) tends to have, but simplified, with a shorter chain of command.

• LEGO Blue - Star Trek Red (Pilot , Command)
• LEGO Green - Star Trek Blue (Science/Medic)
• LEGO Orange - Star Trek Yellow (Engineering/Security)

3 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Welcome to the space base where the crew is preparing for another epic mission. The admiral is in command, and the rocket ship is ready on the launchpad. Scientists have tested the new crystal-botanic batteries and the tower crane is loading them into the ship’s cargo hold for delivery to an orbiting space station. Grab your space gear from the carousel, climb aboard and prepare for blastoff!

Amazing that we get some story...

I think it's good that LEGO does some generic back story (I remember the short descriptions of the old Space, Pirates and Castle factions in catalogues, and yes those had named characters as well, just variations per country), but I also think that not every theme needs to have a tv show, books, etc to be relevant, I mean, 2020-2022 had big focus on LEGO City Adventures, just not in 2023 and 2024 sets, but that show did end late 2022, so it makes some sense they went for more generic, unnamed characters since about summer 2022 (City Train sets have no named characters)

Edited December 5, 2023 by TeriXeri

[legoturtle]

I would like that there are maybe 1-3 named characters and small backstory for them. This time they are not NASA who's in the space? Or are they. LEGO CITY/Space (2022) it was NASA. Artemis program and the destination was Moon. Where they have Moon base and rover. Then they have spaceship which travels around moon...

Maybe that character from LEGO Dreamzzz/Space set is some kind of boss? Or we might see, if we are lucky, even more space sets... maybe there is someone named in CMF series, if we get one.

 

...

Actually... now I understand the LORE. In 2022 NASA went to moon with Artemis project. They have a Moon base there, moon rover, spaceship... and of course a base in Earth. NOW! 2023 they have travelled from Moon to Mars. In 2024 they are in Mars but it is not sure is it NASA. AND maybe they travelled somewhere else also. They have that interstellar spaceship.

Also they have 2 rovers, many spaceships also (polybag) one, spaceship base and planet base. They have robots and focus on: mining and research and they need pilots. Lots of them. They know how to collect plants and energy crystals. Even combine those two to make some kind of crystal-botanic batteries... and those are used with all kind of machines. 

That admiral reminds me from Prometheus (Peter Weyland) ... when he got to the destination, he was very old but still in lead. Those aliens are friendly it says... that is nice, because in quite many movies aliens always attack and destroy.

 

...

Have notice that purple SUPER crystal?

https://www.brickstore.nz/collections/lego-vehicles/products/lego-city-60432-command-rover-and-crane-loader

 

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by legoturtle

[Lion King]

4 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I was just looking at some more images of the City range, and here is my current understanding of the spacesuit colors:

• Warm Gold: Admiral (this one is confirmed in 60434's Play Zone page linked above)
• Earth Blue: Blue team leader. She has a face tattoo of a constellation.
  • Dark Azur: Blue team crew and robots. This team seems to be made up of scouts, explorers, and pilots.
• Earth Green: Green team leader. They have a scanner or microcomputer of some kind over one eye.
  • Bright Green: Green team crew and robots. This team seems to be focused on scientific research work (like geology, botany, chemistry, and xenobiology).
• Dark Orange: Orange team leader. He has a face tattoo of a lightning bolt.
  • Flame Yellowish Orange: Orange team crew and robots. This team seems to be focused on mining, construction, and repair work.

The team leaders and admiral appear in just one set each. So far the blue team has the most robots: a humanoid robot in 60432, an autonomous rover in 60431, and a drone which can attach to their backpacks as a jet booster in 60430. The orange team has a tracked construction robot in 60248 and a repair drone in 60433, while the green team has just one tracked robot in 60434. But of course, it's possible that there may be other sets later in the year with additional robots or crew members.

Wait, what? Two have face tattoos? That’s so cool!

[TeriXeri]

3 hours ago, legoturtle said:

Have notice that purple SUPER crystal?

https://www.brickstore.nz/collections/lego-vehicles/products/lego-city-60432-command-rover-and-crane-loader

Also a ninjago set comes with a large purple crystal piece , which could be re-used in this space line

 

[Lyichir]

32 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

Also a ninjago set comes with a large purple crystal piece , which could be re-used in this space line

 

The large crystal rock piece there isn't new, it appeared in this Disney Princess set this year: https://brickset.com/sets/43215-1/The-Enchanted-Treehouse

Though obviously you could still use it for space if you want to.

[Lion King]

1 hour ago, TeriXeri said:

Also a ninjago set comes with a large purple crystal piece , which could be re-used in this space line

 

 

1 hour ago, Lyichir said:

The large crystal rock piece there isn't new, it appeared in this Disney Princess set this year: https://brickset.com/sets/43215-1/The-Enchanted-Treehouse

Though obviously you could still use it for space if you want to.

I had no idea there is a big crystal piece but it’s perfect for space diorama! Thanks for brining it up.

[legoturtle]

I would like to know what is the story behind this purple crystal. You can mine violet crystals and collect purple plants BUT what about that mega crystal. 

[Aanchir]

16 hours ago, legoturtle said:

I would like to know what is the story behind this purple crystal. You can mine violet crystals and collect purple plants BUT what about that mega crystal. 

The set description for 60432 on Brickmerge says "Begleite die Weltraumcrew auf ihrer Suche nach einem Superkristall mit genügend Energie, um die gesamte Weltraumbasis mit Strom zu versorgen." ("Join the space crew on their search for a super crystal with enough energy to power the entire space base"), so I guess this is what that line refers to!