Interest in Mars - a new Space theme?

[jan kusters]

Joining in a bit late, but I just bought a few of those 2019 City Space kits. Yes, I am a slow starter...

I remember seeing a build up 'Classic Space' display in a toy-store when I was in my twenties (yes, my dark ages as far as Lego went, but I always kept an eye on bricks in the windows). I remember back then wondering why they did not make a clear choice; real space, or SF space? What I saw back then felt pretty much '10-minutes into the future'. The triangular spaceships clearly had a link to the Space Shuttle, al be it without cumbersome big megablocks fuel tanks. The rovers and vehicles in their smallest form clearly linked to the original Lunar Rover from NASA, while the bigger machines had a link to concept studies and drawing board designs. Looking back now, I love their choice. It gives Classic Space a nostalgic future feel, pretty much ,like old SF magazine covers.

Fast Forward 40 years...

The new sets do look like the same '10 minutes into the future' now as Classic Space did back ten. Clear links to present actual space, just taken a little bit further. The design has been 'cleaned up' a bit compared to reality, and lightened up a lot compared to the old blue and gray from Classic Space. It certainly looks more modern. It takes stuff a little further when it comes to rovers and vehicles, but the 'strapped together' rockets and side boosters, the launch controls and 'robots' or remote controlled stuff is real or very close to real space at the moment.

The -not perfect yet- interchangeable rocket parts and coupling devices are a fantastic addition to the latest series. The inner detail in some stuff is just awesome, and it had great play possibilities. I am pretty sure, were I 9 or 10 now (like I was during the Apollo age), I would be completely bonkers about this stuff... Ad in 20 or 30 years, it very well might have the same nostalgia feeling that Classic Space has for me.

So yes, in potential, this looks to me like a New Classic Space. 

It seems this series had been going on for a while already, with releases in 2011 and 2015. It seems those were pretty limited releases, and only in 2019 things really came to blossom. I completely missed out on those, and checking them out now, City Space 2019 certainly takes things a step further.

I can't speak for others, just my own feelings about this stuff. I named it New Classic Space for myself, and I am curious to see where the 5 sets I bought will take me...

[TeriXeri]

I started to collect new "Space" sets since about 2019 as well (collected Nexo Knights from 2016-2018 until that ended, and no LEGO from 2001-2015), but I did mostly rebuilt 928 Galaxy Explorer around 2015 which got me looking for upcoming LEGO sets.

2019 City Space combined with LEGO Movie 2 made 2019 a pretty good Space year , especially sets like the City People Pack, and Benny's Space Squad helped start new collections easily, and the Space Station set was innovative for City imo.

The 2017 and now 2021 Shuttles are my main spacecraft since then, altho I got Pop-Up Party Bus as well (was lucky to win it from a giveaway TLM2 promotion), and Emmet's Dream House has a 2-in-1 Spaceship option which is pretty cool.

The 2020 Underwater base and submarine set also offer opportunity to serve as space sets, especially the diver figures were great and their suits are basicly space suits (I can imagine the same about the older Atlantis theme which I don't have) , the 2019 Space people could also serve as divers, vice versa.

2020 and 2021 also offered decent sci-fi sets in the 3-in-1 Rover, Mining Robot, and  Cyber Drone.

I look forward to the 2022 City Moon Base and Space Station .

I still want to get 80020: White Dragon Horse Jet, as I think it's a great looking "Spaceship" set.

 

I don't have the big 2019 City launch bases but I think what they did looked pretty impressive, with the cargo hold, boosters and countdown.

 

I have yet to take any Nexo sets apart, but the potential for Space vehicles is big , many space wheels, neon orange, etc.

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by TeriXeri