10497 Galaxy Explorer 90th anniversary set

[danth]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:58 AM, Mandalorianknight said:

6940 definately, it's very clearly an AT-AT

People say this, but I disagree. The AT-AT is obviously a giant cat. Whereas the Alien Moon Stalker is more like a mechanical dinosaur.

I rest my case. 🙂

Edited August 29, 2022 by danth

[Mandalorianknight]

1 hour ago, danth said:

People say this, but I disagree. The AT-AT is obviously a giant cat. Whereas the Alien Moon Stalker is more like a mechanical dinosaur.

I rest my case. 🙂

But what kind of dinosaur? Ankylosaurus? 

Also, now I have to be that guy and mention the AT-ATs are elephants. Their movement was created by having some of the guys working on the film go to the zoo and watch elephants walk around.

[Murdoch17]

28 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

But what kind of dinosaur? Ankylosaurus? 

Also, now I have to be that guy and mention the AT-ATs are elephants. Their movement was created by having some of the guys working on the film go to the zoo and watch elephants walk around.

and AT-AT's were also (probably) based off Tolkien's description of the Oliphants from The Lord of The Rings. Which I'll bet came full circle when the Return of the King film was being made. You can't tell me they all don't influence each other!

Edited August 30, 2022 by Murdoch17

[Bornin1980something]

Bag 7, the bag you've all been waiting for! This bag completes the habitable section of the ship, with both canopies and the rear airlock. And all of the iconic printed pieces.

The crew is also complete, with a final white astronaut. Just one picture will not do this stage justice. In the cockpit, which has had full seats and two steering wheel since bag 2, the complete flight controls are finally added.

Most of the printed tiles are new, but very much in the style of the Classic Space range. Even in the 1970s, the Classic Space range never made the mistake of showing traditional dials. Instead, it relied mainly on Star Trek style panels of coloured dots, possibly representing small lights, switches, or both, along with the occasional green computer screen. This scheme is kept for this model, and it's entirely possible that, like the original Classic Space panels, these pieces will find use in many other themes. One exception might be a diagram which clearly shows the outline of this ship, including the habitable area and all four engines. Above it is a recently reintroduced and slightly modified panel, based on one originally used in the M-Tron space range. On the left (commander's) side, the panel is an exact recreation of a pattern used on slope pieces in the original. On the right (pilot's) side, the vintage looking screen originally on this side of the cockpit is replaced by a brand-new panel, the screen now depicting a graphic similar to the 1978 video game Asteroids, with what appears to be a score of 497 (the original set's American number). It struck me as slightly odd that the panels would be different on each side, but it reflects the layout of the original single pilot cockpit. The only real criticism I have of this panel is that it is technically not airtight, as it is built over the front landing gear compartment, with no firewall. I might try to correct this.

Several more panels are added into the new rear habitable section, indicating that this part is still a place of work, not just living quarters. Indeed, these panels slightly reduce the space inside, but there is still enough room for all four astronauts, and also the robot when bag one which I have failed to mention so far (I didn't originally intend to do a full build review) – provided at least one astronaut is in bed, or weightless.

Indeed, in real life, weightless astronauts get to use 100% of the interior space in craft that would be too small for the purpose in normal gravity.

There is a working sliding airlock, though if you look closely, its sophisticated structure is not actually airtight. Maybe it is kept airtight by some inflatable rubber or force fields?

While the habitable section is complete and largely sealed, the ship still looks a bit like the victim of a reactor overload, as there is no stern section, and no engines.

 

[Lyichir]

24 minutes ago, Bornin1980something said:

Bag 7, the bag you've all been waiting for! This bag completes the habitable section of the ship, with both canopies and the rear airlock. And all of the iconic printed pieces.

 

The crew is also complete, with a final white astronaut. Just one picture will not do this stage justice. In the cockpit, which has had full seats and two steering wheel since bag 2, the complete flight controls are finally added.

 

Most of the printed tiles are new, but very much in the style of the Classic Space range. Even in the 1970s, the Classic Space range never made the mistake of showing traditional dials. Instead, it relied mainly on Star Trek style panels of coloured dots, possibly representing small lights, switches, or both, along with the occasional green computer screen. This scheme is kept for this model, and it's entirely possible that, like the original Classic Space panels, these pieces will find use in many other themes. One exception might be a diagram which clearly shows the outline of this ship, including the habitable area and all four engines. Above it is a recently reintroduced and slightly modified panel, based on one originally used in the M-Tron space range. On the left (commander's) side, the panel is an exact recreation of a pattern used on slope pieces in the original. On the right (pilot's) side, the vintage looking screen originally on this side of the cockpit is replaced by a brand-new panel, the screen now depicting a graphic similar to the 1978 video game Asteroids, with what appears to be a score of 497 (the original set's American number). It struck me as slightly odd that the panels would be different on each side, but it reflects the layout of the original single pilot cockpit. The only real criticism I have of this panel is that it is technically not airtight, as it is built over the front landing gear compartment, with no firewall. I might try to correct this.

 

Several more panels are added into the new rear habitable section, indicating that this part is still a place of work, not just living quarters. Indeed, these panels slightly reduce the space inside, but there is still enough room for all four astronauts, and also the robot when bag one which I have failed to mention so far (I didn't originally intend to do a full build review) – provided at least one astronaut is in bed, or weightless.

 

Indeed, in real life, weightless astronauts get to use 100% of the interior space in craft that would be too small for the purpose in normal gravity.

There is a working sliding airlock, though if you look closely, its sophisticated structure is not actually airtight. Maybe it is kept airtight by some inflatable rubber or force fields?

While the habitable section is complete and largely sealed, the ship still looks a bit like the victim of a reactor overload, as there is no stern section, and no engines.

 

Really loving your bag-by-bag updates on the build! The low-angle "minifig's-eye-view" photos of the interior are great!

[GeoBrick]

48 minutes ago, Bornin1980something said:

Those are marvelous shots here.
I think that, once I start building the set for myself, will switch the radar -and asteroids tiles. With that the habitation section has a dedicated entertainment console.

[Spacechampions17]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone happen to have a list of leftover parts of the medium and small alternate 10497 builds? It seems there was a list on rebrickable but that has been removed...

[Black Knight]

23 minutes ago, Spacechampions17 said:

Hi everyone,

Does anyone happen to have a list of leftover parts of the medium and small alternate 10497 builds? It seems there was a list on rebrickable but that has been removed...

They are now available as alternate builds on rebrickable:

10497-1-b2 - Space Transport

10497-1-b1 - Space Cruiser

[Spacechampions17]

6 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

They are now available as alternate builds on rebrickable:

10497-1-b2 - Space Transport

10497-1-b1 - Space Cruiser

Thank you!

[Maple]

It's currently $75 in the USA at Walmart.com. Best deal on an exclusive the USA has had in years. 

[technicfanatic]

21 minutes ago, Maple said:

It's currently $75 in the USA at Walmart.com. Best deal on an exclusive the USA has had in years. 

I worry this means the set is not selling so well, which would be a shame.

[The Stud]

6 minutes ago, technicfanatic said:

I worry this means the set is not selling so well, which would be a shame.

I doubt that’s the reason, it’s only been out a month. Probably just a glitch.

 

I wasn’t planning on getting this set until sometime next year, but I jumped on it this morning when I saw that I could get it for $65. Basically, you have to play around with your store location until it changes the price to $75. If you’re using Paypal, you can save another $10 when you’re checking out by using the promo code PAYPAL10. I should have the set waiting for me when I come home for my birthday this weekend! 

[Stepwise]

I keep telling myself it's too expensive and that I don't have the space. But at $65 or $75 . . . Hmm. . . 

[RichardGoring]

Ooh, nice! I couldn't get the PayPal promo to work, but $75 for this is amazing. So tempting to get a second one, but I really don't need it.

[Maple]

1 hour ago, RichardGoring said:

Ooh, nice! I couldn't get the PayPal promo to work, but $75 for this is amazing. So tempting to get a second one, but I really don't need it.

Did you pay in Paypal? 
There is also Honey cashback of $7.50.

Also WOWFRESH might give you $10 off too, I haven't tried it.

My guess is that LEGO sent out too much stock to Walmart and they want more room in warehouses. It's probably a short lived sale just to free up space.

It's sold out so we shall see what the price is when Walmart gets more stock.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Maple

[RichardGoring]

4 hours ago, Maple said:

Did you pay in Paypal? 
There is also Honey cashback of $7.50.

Also WOWFRESH might give you $10 off too, I haven't tried it.

My guess is that LEGO sent out too much stock to Walmart and they want more room in warehouses. It's probably a short lived sale just to free up space.

It's sold out so we shall see what the price is when Walmart gets more stock.

Yes, I paid in PayPal, but kept getting an error message about needing to add $50 more. I saw people saying they had the same message and added more and it worked, but not for me. I checked Honey too and no deal on this one for me. I'm happy with $75 though.

Still showing as in-stock for me though. Delivery by Sep 19.

Edited September 14, 2022 by RichardGoring

[Maple]

It's back in stock for me too. This is such an odd sale.

[jodawill]

That's a great deal! I was able to get it for $65 with the WOWFRESH promo code. It wouldn't work on my PC, but it worked on my phone. Go figure!

[Clone OPatra]

Wow, getting it down to $65 (plus tax) for people in the US is a crazy good deal. This thing was already fairly priced at $100!

[Mandalorianknight]

12 hours ago, Maple said:

It's currently $75 in the USA at Walmart.com. Best deal on an exclusive the USA has had in years. 

don'tbuyasecondonedon'tbuyasecondonedon'tbuyasecondoneAGH I'm gonna buy a second one.

[arnoldtblumberg]

Ordering another two now, can't pass up the $75 sale! That brings me up to 6 sets. I know, I know, but it's Classic Space we're talking about! Sigh, this is crazy, but I have to...

[jodawill]

I just bought a second one at $65. For some reason, the PAYPAL10 code didn't work on my phone, but it did work on my PC. (The opposite of the previous code.) I also installed Honey for this purchase. It gave me a notification about getting $7 back, but that has yet to materialize. We'll see. But at $65, this is likely the best deal I'm ever going to find on this set.

Edit: I just got a confirmation email from Honey. I got $7.50 back, putting me at $57.50 total. But I bought it twice and only used Honey the second time. Does anyone know if it's possible to upload your receipt to Honey?

Edited September 14, 2022 by jodawill

[Scene]

I ordered mine on Monday from LEGO. No deals, discounts, or regret. I did however, order replacement transparent parts because even 40 years later LEGO have no concept of port / starboard lighting on any form of ship

[Maple]

8 hours ago, jodawill said:

Edit: I just got a confirmation email from Honey. I got $7.50 back, putting me at $57.50 total. But I bought it twice and only used Honey the second time. Does anyone know if it's possible to upload your receipt to Honey?

No. Honey is tracking what you do online to make money, so you need to have Honey enabled for the discount / cashback.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Maple

[danth]

Well, I've completed my trifecta, and have built all three versions of 10497. I really love all three builds. They're all gorgeous.

My only nitpicks would be minor coloring things like a bit of a white brick peaking out in a few spots but you just can't complain about alt builds these good over something that petty.

Although I did notice the white ingot pieces in the cockpit of the mid-sized ship (added in step 155 on page 94) interfere with the closing of the cockpit. You simply can't close the canopy all the way without removing those two white parts.