Disappointed by the new Galaxy Explorer

[John Carter]

After reading the raving reviews of set no. 10497, I was really excited to buy it. Unfortunately, the set didn't live to ANY of the hype, so I decided to write out my opinion in the form of a review (sans photos. Sorry, but I think there are enough photos and videos of the set in every conceivable angle and build state. This, naturally, has nothing to do with the fact I'm lazy and don't want to set up a photo shoot) to create some balance and maybe find some like-minded people.

So, let's get down to it:

The disappointment begins with the packaging – instead of the up-to-date packaging, Lego opted for a boring design with… sand? A spaceship should be blazing in space, or landing on strange and exotic planets, not the Sahara Desert. There's just no logical reason to set the photo like that! Could it be some weird ploy to tie the set to Star Wars, making buyers think this is a spaceship landing to Tatooine? To make it doubly infuriating, I have the distinct feeling I saw an almost identical artwork somewhere before. I hope Lego didn't just copy this drab cover from somewhere…

Then we have the instructions – First off, we are greeted with some text about Lego Space, the original Galaxy Explorer and more, from both the set designer and the grandson of Lego founder and former CEO of the company. First off, I bought the set to build it, not read a wall of text. No one cares about your legacy, history, design process or "interesting" tidbits (that were just SO important they just HAD to cram them into the building steps)! Secondly, there is absolutely no excuse piling more text by some corporate figure who got his position purely by nepotism.

The build, likewise, was a bummer. During the build, it's sometimes hard to see how things will add up, but then you put a few more pieces and an entire wing segment materializes in front of you, making you feel dumb for not realizing how all the parts will add up sooner. If I wanted to feel dumb, I would just look into a mirror. Furthermore, putting the last tiles on the wings felt just like putting the last piece in a jigsaw. Did I buy a jigsaw? No, I bought an interlocking bricks toy.  STAY IN YOUR LANE, LEGO!

The build was also over way too fast. It seems in one moment I was opening the box, and the next I had a complete spaceship in front of me (the clock said it took me a few hours, but I think it might have been tampered with, as it didn't feel like that AT ALL)

And don't even get me started talking about the figures. They are plain, boring monochromatic with a meager classic space logo printed on them. No back or arms printing. The faces are also minimalistic and just so… happy. Don’t' they know pace travel is serious business? Not only that, but they look just like the "classic" (i.e., old) minifigs, evoking a child-like feeling from a "classic" (i.e., old) Lego collector. This is, of course, a bad thing as children are stupid and boring and I don't have anything in common with their stupid and boring faces! I specifically bought this set because it said 18+ on it, so I'll know for a fact no child has it.

The finished spaceship is a total mess. There are four seats but only two beds (and they sleep with their air tanks on!?). Also, there is no bathroom, a basic feature in all modern sets of this size. The only redeeming quality are the trans yellow canopies, that Lego wisely put with all the other parts, scratching them and making them look slightly aged, a bit like my vintage sets (that are, of course, superior in any objective measure to the modern sets). However, this small feature does not make up for the rest of the model.

 

On a serious note – Sorry for misleading you in the beginning, but hopefully you found the joke funny enough to warrant a slight misdirection. I wrote this review mainly because I wanted to rave about the set, but as the internet is stuffed with positive reviews about it, I feared adding even one more could potentially create a critical mass and suck earth into a black hole. So, I thought "If I can't say anything new, maybe I could say the same thing in a novel way".

But also, I really want to know if there is someone, anyone, who didn't like this set. If you clicked the post with a relived feeling of "at last, someone had the courage to say it out loud!", I would genuinely like to hear from you. You might have an uncommon opinion, but that doesn't make it any less valid (said the guy who wrote an entire review on a premise of cramming as many invalid opinions…). Don’t' worry, we promise to only throw fresh vegetables.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the post and found it amusing.

And one more thing – I did write the "no bathroom" thing as a joke, but, seriously, how cool would it be if Lego added a space bathroom?

[Mandalorianknight]

While reading this, I was so confused, because it really felt like a fake comment with how over-the-top negative it was. And then, of course, it was a fake! Ultimately very funny.

I tried to add bathrooms in the moon base I made as a compainion set, but there just wasn't room. I imagine it was similar for the actual designers with the ship: there just isn't a ton of interior.

[Bornin1980something]

Nah,space bathrooms suck!

[Murdoch17]

You had me going there @John Carter! A tip of the hat to you, for bamboozling me.

Also, I had to LOL at @Bornin1980something's comment.

[lowlead]

Dammit!  I spoiled the gag by scrolling ahead.

I will say that I'm glad I'm not a collector that saves the packaging.  LEGO must hate those people...forcing them to defile the box.  Punch tabs??  EWWWW!! 

[RichardGoring]

Ha ha! Good one. But you're right about the bathroom. Not for this set, but it's one of the things that Friends does so well.

[Lion King]

LOL you had me! I guess I agree wih Bornin - Space bathrooms suck!

[GeoBrick]

Who needs space bathrooms when wearing a space suit??! just plug the insuit containers to either the disposal or recycling gizmo!

[TeriXeri]

Speaking of space bathrooms, at least 10497 does have quite a few of parts for sliding doors.

20 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

Ha ha! Good one. But you're right about the bathroom. Not for this set, but it's one of the things that Friends does so well.

City is catching up to Friends.

City 2021 House Family House has a toilet.

City 2022 Police Bank has a toilet behind a breakable ATM wall.

City 2022 Police Station has a breakable prison toilet, so you can see inside the drain pipe 

City 2022 Hospital has a Bathroom corner.

City 2022 Train Station has a mobile toilet.

Edited August 18, 2022 by TeriXeri

[RichardGoring]

35 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

Speaking of space bathrooms, at least 10497 does have quite a few of parts for sliding doors.

City is catching up to Friends.

City 2021 House Family House has a toilet.

City 2022 Police Bank has a toilet behind a breakable ATM wall.

City 2022 Police Station has a breakable prison toilet, so you can see inside the drain pipe 

City 2022 Hospital has a Bathroom corner.

City 2022 Train Station has a mobile toilet.

Fair enough. I still find Friends more interesting, although I did just get the hospital set for $80 at Wal-Mart. Couldn't pass it up at that price, and it's very highly reviewed.

[danth]

This was great, I was cracking up immediately. I'm kind of sad you gave the game away at the end; I would have loved to see the angry responses! 

[RichardGoring]

1 hour ago, danth said:

This was great, I was cracking up immediately. I'm kind of sad you gave the game away at the end; I would have loved to see the angry responses! 

Please no! The internet is too full of people not understanding the author's humour and then LETTING THEM KNOW ABOUT IT IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS!

[Mandalorianknight]

On 8/17/2022 at 7:12 PM, lowlead said:

Dammit!  I spoiled the gag by scrolling ahead.

I will say that I'm glad I'm not a collector that saves the packaging.  LEGO must hate those people...forcing them to defile the box.  Punch tabs??  EWWWW!! 

I keep the packaging of larger sets or ones that are special to me. So, while I throw out snowtrooper battle pack boxes, for instance, I keep the box of the galaxy explorer, and the 2021 tumbler. I say this because it's taught me a way to neutralize punch tabs: you can take a knife and slid it in the crevice between the tabs and the next flap of carboard to seperate them, giving you a completely new looking box. Because of that, I prefer them to taped boxes now!

17 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Speaking of space bathrooms, at least 10497 does have quite a few of parts for sliding doors.

If it's just toilets and no sinks, showers/tubs, or toilet paper rolls, that might be moreso that for 6-8 year olds, the concept of a toilet is the strongest humor on the planet.

[Lion King]

I’m not very sure why the minifigures are smiling when there is no bathroom on the space… did they really, well, do their business inside spaceship while they smile sheepishly? Or are they smiling out of guilt as they  eject their “business” into the vast space?

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

I’m not very sure why the minifigures are smiling when there is no bathroom on the space… did they really, well, do their business inside spaceship while they smile sheepishly? Or are they smiling out of guilt as they  eject their “business” into the vast space?

Maybe the beds (which seem to interface with the air tanks they wear) also cycle all the... waste... out of the suits.

[Mandalorianknight]

14 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

Maybe the beds (which seem to interface with the air tanks they wear) also cycle all the... waste... out of the suits.

Since there are 2 beds and four guys, I'd love to hear that conversation.

"Wake up, I know it's your shift to sleep, but I really need to dispense waste!"

[Johnny1360]

Funnily enough, I really don't care for the set, maybe as a parts pack but it really does nothing for me. So many people seem to really like it though, so I accept that maybe it's just me and say nothing.

[lowlead]

8 hours ago, Johnny1360 said:

...So many people seem to really like it though, so I accept that maybe it's just me and say nothing.

Not at all - let's hear it!  Not sure of your age category, but I imagine the resident GenX-ers are the ones overdosing on nostalgia - I know I am! 

[Mandalorianknight]

10 minutes ago, lowlead said:

Not at all - let's hear it!  Not sure of your age category, but I imagine the resident GenX-ers are the ones overdosing on nostalgia - I know I am! 

I'm 18 and overdosing on nostalgia. I think it was genertically transferred by my dad or something because I literally never owned classic space sets.

[lowlead]

2 minutes ago, Mandalorianknight said:

...I think it was genertically transferred by my dad or something....

...or perhaps even generdically!

[technicfanatic]

16 hours ago, lowlead said:

...or perhaps even generdically!

Dad jokes FTW every time.

[Spacechampions17]

My son and I indeed thought the ship lacked a sink, toilet and a shower, and we added all three while maintaining enough room for the buggy....