2024 Space sets

[jodawill]

It seems funny to me that there's any debate over what Classic Space means. The torso is such an obvious way to differentiate Classic Space from everything else. I don't think I've ever seen anyone argue over this point before. After Classic Space, we always had named factions, which are clearly distinct from the original theme. I don't believe any other factions ever appeared in a Classic Space set.

Classic Castle is definitely more vague. I would argue that it ended with the arrival of the Black Falcons and Lion Knights in 1984. That's when the knights became less generic and there's a very clear difference in style at that cutoff. That's when horses and panels were introduced, which, along with the more detailed torsos, completely changed the nature of the theme. The only downside I see to this cutoff is that this leaves us with only a handful of sets for Classic Castle, but hey, that's not my fault. That's what the designers did. 😛

[TeriXeri]

35 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

Honestly I don't know if I'd take that as a "clue" one way or another. After all, it's just as possible that the early 90s factions in this minifigures series were chosen to shine a light on Space subthemes that AREN'T featured prominently in other current, recent, or upcoming Minifigures series or Icons sets.

So true, as M-Tron, Blacktron 2, and Ice Planet all use neon transparent colors in the original sets, and those colors seem absent from this CMF (altho there's debate about the ice saw color), it's possible they aren't going to be featured in upcoming products at all.

Edited December 17, 2023 by TeriXeri

[Aanchir]

24 minutes ago, jodawill said:

It seems funny to me that there's any debate over what Classic Space means. The torso is such an obvious way to differentiate Classic Space from everything else. I don't think I've ever seen anyone argue over this point before. After Classic Space, we always had named factions, which are clearly distinct from the original theme. I don't believe any other factions ever appeared in a Classic Space set.

I think it's partly 'cuz some people use "classic" as a general sort of adjective for describing older sets, and after so many decades there are a lot of sets that people tend to describe as "classic" that wouldn't have been described that way in the 90s or early 2000s. So for example, the Spyrius droid could be considered a classic "Space" minifigure, but not a "Classic Space" minifigure.

Also, as we've been discussing, Futuron sets were clearly labeled in American box art and catalogs as a specific subtheme with a unique name right from the get-go — but many boxes and catalogs in Europe didn't label them any differently from previous "LEGOLAND Space" sets. So the distinction to some fans growing up with those sets would have been a little fuzzier.

[Peppermint_M]

Can I just say, that as a big fan of UFO, I feel like we have been neglected. The big boss alien had such a cool design..

Why can't we get an updated re-issue? That helmet was one of my favourite parts of my limited childhood collection. I recall playing a game where the character was a fusion of my (limited) understanding of Predator and Darth Vader (per the unmeddled with Original Trilogy) and a little Ming The Merciless from 80s Flash Gordon. 

 

[Lyichir]

6 minutes ago, Peppermint_M said:

Can I just say, that as a big fan of UFO, I feel like we have been neglected. The big boss alien had such a cool design..

Why can't we get an updated re-issue? That helmet was one of my favourite parts of my limited childhood collection. I recall playing a game where the character was a fusion of my (limited) understanding of Predator and Darth Vader (per the unmeddled with Original Trilogy) and a little Ming The Merciless from 80s Flash Gordon. 

 

Personally, as somebody who also had UFO sets growing up, I feel like bringing it back is a somewhat tougher case than other themes since bringing UFO figs in line with modern fig design standards would probably involve reducing detail as much as adding it. The UFO fig designs came out in an era when Lego was experimenting with higher detail, and while some of the basic elements like leg printing have now become common, the printing on UFO figs featured relatively fine, complex detail compared to modern fig designs which tend to feature bolder line weights and more deliberate shaping and contouring compared to the intricate-but-flat-looking designs of the UFO theme. By comparison, "modernizing" classic factions such as Blacktron II or M-Tron allows for more unambiguous "upgrades" since their classic uniforms were basically a simple logo and little else.

Also, compared to many other Space themes it doesn't help that the helmets and torso armor are both highly distinctive and retired, meaning specific replacements would likely have to be introduced for both. Again, comparing to other space themes which more commonly used standard airtanks, helmets, and visors, it's easy to reinterpret, upgrade, or replace those without compromising the original aesthetic too severely,

[legoturtle]

 

Sorry to interrupt BUT that NEW faction is actually NASA in the future. LEG print from CITY/Space (2022) is same than upcoming sets...

- left leg

- logo is very similar (blue = moon, orange = mars)

 

So they are actually in Mars also. BUT they find life from there... and new energy. These theme has taken so much good things from Interstellar and The Martian, Prometheus and so on... they are actually us in the future.

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by legoturtle

[Aanchir]

20 minutes ago, legoturtle said:

Sorry to interrupt BUT that NEW faction is actually NASA in the future. LEG print from CITY/Space (2022) is same than upcoming sets... 

Several City, Creator, Friends, and Technic Space sets have been NASA-inspired, but I wouldn't necessarily say that the LEGO City space agency is the same entity as NASA. It's entirely possible that they're a separate space agency that collaborates with NASA and launches some of their crews and equipment to space aboard NASA shuttles and rockets, just as ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos have done several times in real life. This is how I tend to think of them.

On another note, I also tend to think of the various LEGO City Space logos (most of which are variations on the Classic Space logo) not as separate factions, but rather as insignias for separate space programs or missions carried out by a single agency, much like how NASA has had unique insignias for space programs like Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Artemis, etc.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Aanchir

[legoturtle]

Ok, but what is happening in Friends sets... it is Mars BASE? AND then Technic sets NASA Mars rover... BUT also 2 futuristics sets which are same logo? but in future... NOW with LEGO CITY/Space ... it seems that it is us humans in the future. So maybe there was a world peace and just 1 race. We went to moon, mars and titan... after that we discovered that planet?

That is very interesting because in upcoming CMF series - there is not relation to these figures? This whole new faction is big mystery to me. There is actually a lot of lore but now character names. That Dreamzzz set is a joke, it does not fit either with this faction.

[Inspecter]

10 hours ago, Fenghuang0296 said:

I’m convinced that the next colour we’re going to get is Royal Blue. Or whatever we call the colour they use for ice in Minecraft. It’s the only colour from Everyone Is Awesome that they haven’t done yet (if we ignore the slight disparity between Green and Bright Green), and they seem to have run out of primary colours to do.

I’m also still waiting and hoping for a new version of Black, and a Blue torso without Benny scuff marks. (But I’ve almost given up on that after this many years . .)

I think the more important question is what set will have the new CS astronaut color. Since the CMF is only doing a new CS baby. Though I do wish the CMF line had a light gray helmet and tanks show up too.

[Mandalorianknight]

11 hours ago, Fenghuang0296 said:

I’m convinced that the next colour we’re going to get is Royal Blue. Or whatever we call the colour they use for ice in Minecraft. It’s the only colour from Everyone Is Awesome that they haven’t done yet (if we ignore the slight disparity between Green and Bright Green), and they seem to have run out of primary colours to do.

I’m also still waiting and hoping for a new version of Black, and a Blue torso without Benny scuff marks. (But I’ve almost given up on that after this many years . .)

I don't know that they're planning on using the rainbow set as a template, I thought the colors there were just what the ones on the big flag were at the time. I think as others have said it's more likely we get a color that doesn't seem as much like a shade of an existing color. A sort of copper colored spaceman- whether actually more metallic or just a dark orange- could be cool.

Black and Blue would both be perfect as crewers for another classic space set, like a moonbase or different type of ship. 

5 hours ago, Aanchir said:

LEGO might prefer to stick with colors that would seem less like a lighter or darker versions of colors they'd already had — like perhaps, a "Teal Astronaut" in Bright Bluish Green or a "Gold Astronaut" in Warm Gold.

Totally agree with this, and I'm surprised the gold classic space astronaut hasn't shown up yet.

I did a space module ideas set back when the explorer came out, and the included "special" astronaut was a brown spaceman, which we did end up getting! But I remember I'd done a couple renders of different colors, and there was some interest in the gold astronaut specifically.

4 hours ago, Peppermint_M said:

Can I just say, that as a big fan of UFO, I feel like we have been neglected. The big boss alien had such a cool design..

This would have been a perfect figure for the CMF, though I'm not sure there'll be any good opportunities to put it in sets. I don't think the UFO theme itself will get a full set anytime soon, so we'd have to hope for the commander fig showing up somewhere else. Maybe a space police icons set with various older themes' villains in cells?

[Inspecter]

Well, a gold CS astronaut would be the perfect figure for the space theme anniversary. Hope it will be in an affordable set.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Inspecter

[Black Falcon]

1 minute ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Black and Blue would both be perfect as crewers for another classic space set, like a moonbase or different type of ship. 

6971 Inter-Galactic Command Base would be a Set I would love to see remade (thought they shouldn´t stay to close to the original here) We would get a base, with a little Starship, a ground vehicle and a rocket and additionally a blue, a black and a yellow spacemen

1 minute ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Totally agree with this, and I'm surprised the gold classic space astronaut hasn't shown up yet.

Sounds like something they would either make as part of a jubilee set - or a gwp.

 

[playgood]

3 hours ago, Mandalorianknight said:

Maybe a space police icons set with various older themes' villains in cells?

This is a great idea. It's difficult to recreate most of the faction-era 80s / 90s space sets using today's pieces and colors. Space police I and II are some of the easier themes to recreate because the colors are still in production. Referencing the villain factions (Blacktron II, Spyrius, UFO, and Insectoids) works really well for an anniversary set. 

[TeriXeri]

6 hours ago, Inspecter said:

Well, a gold CS astronaut would be the perfect figure for the space theme anniversary. Hope it will be in an affordable set.

I can imagine 2028 being a big year as it's the 50th anniversary of minifigures, which also marked the start of Classic Space and the Yellow Castle, as well as 70 years of the Brick.

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by TeriXeri

[Lion King]

19 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

I can imagine 2028 being a big year as it's the 50th anniversary of minifigures, which also marked the start of Classic Space and the Yellow Castle, as well as 70 years of the Brick.

 

 I don’t want to walk into that trap again since CMF Series 18 was a party theme with a lot of costumes but only one classic Police Officer minifigure.

[CP5670]

On 12/17/2023 at 12:53 PM, jodawill said:

It seems funny to me that there's any debate over what Classic Space means. The torso is such an obvious way to differentiate Classic Space from everything else. I don't think I've ever seen anyone argue over this point before. After Classic Space, we always had named factions, which are clearly distinct from the original theme. I don't believe any other factions ever appeared in a Classic Space set. 

There were several distinct sub-themes within CS with very different color schemes though, like blue/gray/tryellow, white/blue/trblue and gray/trgreen. Also the last wave of CS is almost indistinguishable from Futuron except for the minifigs (sets like 6972 or 6783).

[Renny The Spaceman]

4 hours ago, Lion King said:

 I don’t want to walk into that trap again since CMF Series 18 was a party theme with a lot of costumes but only one classic Police Officer minifigure.

It would be in boxes this time as well 

[ToaDraco]

Wow, the space cmf series looks incredible! My favorites are definitely Orion, the Ice Planet homage, mutated Blacktron, and insectoid alien. I'll definitely have to bricklink them after release since LEGO insists on the horrendous boxes...

[Classic_Spaceman]

On 12/17/2023 at 2:15 PM, legoturtle said:

Sorry to interrupt BUT that NEW faction is actually NASA in the future. LEG print from CITY/Space (2022) is same than upcoming sets...

- left leg

- logo is very similar (blue = moon, orange = mars)

NASA seems to be separate from the the moon-and-rocket agency/company (given that the rocket in the 2022 sets has NASA logos, while the astronauts themselves have the variant CS logo), but I can see the 2022 and 2024 astronauts being from the same faction but at different points in time. 

On 12/17/2023 at 2:15 PM, legoturtle said:

So they are actually in Mars also.

Not likely, since the landscape looks nothing like Mars. 
 

On 12/17/2023 at 2:35 PM, Aanchir said:

It's entirely possible that they're a separate space agency that collaborates with NASA and launches some of their crews and equipment to space aboard NASA shuttles and rockets, just as ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos have done several times in real life. This is how I tend to think of them.

Exactly. 👍

On 12/17/2023 at 2:35 PM, Aanchir said:

On another note, I also tend to think of the various LEGO City Space logos (most of which are variations on the Classic Space logo) not as separate factions, but rather as insignias for separate space programs or missions carried out by a single agency

It also could be an evolution of the same agency’s logo over time, though different factions with similar logos is actually quite realistic! 
 

[legoturtle]

Does faction mean that have own unique LOGO? Because Classic Space logo is actually used in LEGO CITY/Space sets (2022) and next year (2024). That means that Classic Space are humans in different period of time. Next year they are far a way in future.

Also we are getting some amazing classic factions. I am a fan of Blacktron 2... BUT I like also as much this planet + spaceship faction. Galaxy Explorer is amazing set.

[Classic_Spaceman]

15 minutes ago, legoturtle said:

Does faction mean that have own unique LOGO? Because Classic Space logo is actually used in LEGO CITY/Space sets (2022) and next year (2024). 

It could, but the different logos (2019, 2022, 2024, etc) could also be the same agency at different points in time, or just different mission patches from the same agency (as @Aanchir suggested). 
 

[legoturtle]

They are same group. LOGO is so similar. Only colours differ a bit. So CS has not died. It has been there all the time. 

Why that pink space baby is only CS figure? That is weird - IF??? it does not mean that something big is starting again. Could space as a theme come back. Star Wars goes down if they don't start to find what the franchise is all about.

[Classic_Spaceman]

1 minute ago, legoturtle said:

Could space as a theme come back. Star Wars goes down if they don't start to find what the franchise is all about.

Star Wars is not going anywhere, but I would love to see the return of a full in-house Space theme! 
 

[legoturtle]

I don't mean Star Wars goes away BUT if we think those movies. Something has to be done. Also space is more popular all the time because of NASA & SpaceX and others plans. Moon and then Mars maybe Titan... the moon in Saturn. AND if you follow what is happening in the USA. About UFO phenomenon.

...

TLG might try how people react space sets in different themes. It is great idea. Maybe not totally new BUT for example - Technic sets. I haven't even notice technic sets until now and I am planning to buy all those sets. Well 3 of 4. I collect Space, that is number one, then comes Adventure themes like Indiana Jones. Or for example that Orient Express set (Hercule Poirot). There is just so many sets 2024. I don't have any clue how to get "all of the space sets".

[playgood]

40 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Star Wars is not going anywhere, but I would love to see the return of a full in-house Space theme! 
  

Stars Wars is definitely sticking around. But the volume of sets has decreased in recent years.

This data doesn't take into account sales, budgets, percentage of revenue. So we don't have an accurate understanding of consumer demand, but if we use number of sets produced as our indicator, we can see a trend emerge.

From 2015 to 2020 LEGO was producing ~60 sets, but in the past three years (2021 - 2023) that number has been reduced to ~40 sets. It's possible for Star Wars to reverse the trend, but it's not likely to happen until there is a new and popular movie or TV show.

The presumption here is that the lack of Star Wars sets creates an opening for other Space sets. 

Here's a chart showing number of Star Wars sets produced.