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Blacktron I rises again! "You are now entering the Blacktron sector! This is the absolute limit of the Classic Space quadrant! You have been warned!" ...sorry about that. Had to get the legal stuff out of the way first! Anyway: Blacktron long-range fighter "Buzzard" Above is the two copies of the Blacktron XL-15, which are now dubbed the "Buzzard" type starfighter. So back in January of 2023, I decided to convert the XL-15 spaceship from the film "Lightyear" into original Blacktron colors. The blue became yellow, and white was turned to black, with all the trans-green removed. I added laser blasters under the wings where some technic pins are and put a different control tile in the cockpit. I was thinking about building a second ship, but then again, getting some of the parts from Bricklink was a total pain due to extremely low quantities in the needed color. (I'm talking about you, 3 x 3 wedge plate in yellow!) Thankfully, I bought one too many of both kinds of the yellow 12 x 3 wedge plates, as they are very rare as well with only one store selling four of each kind in the USA, which made making the second one easier later on. Blacktron command vessel "Executor" In addition to the two Buzzards, I wanted a Blacktron capitol ship. I had no ideas of my own ship, so I spent most of the afternoon of 10/5/23 taking Benny's beloved spaceship from The Lego Movie and corrupting it into a twisted, evil version. I revamped the nose, removed the expanding wing assembly and snub fighters. Of course I then recolored it almost exclusively in black and yellow. (some gray was unavoidable!) I armed it with a turret on the top rear where the sensor array once was, and put the commanders office below where the wing mechanism used to be. To keep with the one-word naming scheme of the original Blacktron, I borrowed the name of Darth Vader's Super Star Destroyer, decreeing this ship the Blacktron Executor. I struggled to think of an engine flame color that fit OG Blacktron, but eventually trans-light blue was selected. Since the wings don't extend anymore, I added a third section for figures with a turret on top in their place. The rear-most section lifts away, but the rest of the roof sections are supposed to fold open. The ship seats seven troops and 1 commander. Blacktron giant robot "Destructor" For this model, I used parts and ideas from the Eternals line's "In Arishem's Shadow" set 76155 (body / head / upper legs / upper arms) along with claw from the old Agents 2.0' "Robot Attack" set 8970. The lower legs and laser arm are (modified) holdovers from the "Build Better Bricks" Iron Giant instructions. (I need to fix the laser arm's elbow joint but I keep forgetting!) Blacktron "Shadow Runner" space car Recently, while I was on my Blacktron kick, I decided I needed a vehicle for the commander. So, after a few false starts with other models, I dusted off this old TRON Legacy Light Runner model and went to town modifying it. The model originally was made five years ago (was 2018 really that long ago?!?), and is based off the two-seater TRON set 21314 MOD that was made by BrickBrosUK and posted on Brickset here. The name Shadow Runner is a play on the Light-based vehicles from TRON. Blacktron minifigs These pilot minifigs are from the GWP with back printing (gotten from Pick A Brick) while the commander is mostly from the Series 19 Galactic Bounty Hunter CMF. NOTES: To be honest, I've had these built since at least last November, but finally got around to taking all these pictures just yesterday. Thoughts? EDITED 3/12/24: real world photos added and text changed around.

These are builds inspired by or taken from the first MMO made for Lego: LEGO Universe. (or LU, as it was affectionately known) Here is my space base... ...the space vehicles, and below is the history + the LU story post-2010: This game had very few real world items in sets, but two things did come out: First, an astronaut for people who pre-ordered the game in 2010... and then a rocket that was modular in the style of the game (Nose + Cockpit + Engine) and was released in a LEGO Club event to build your own rocket. (both pictures from Brick Link) The game lasted barely past it's first birthday (October 2010 was when it started), with the plug being pulled on February 1st 12:01 AM 2012. As a testament to the game I played and loved, I built some models that continue the story past 2012 and beyond the current day. Here are those builds: - 16 soldier figures - 1 orange mini-fig robot (from Galaxy Squad) - 1 train engineer (in brown) - 2 scientists (in blue jackets) - 1 Bob (lab coat with white boots) - 2 astromech droids The NIFT-E robot was designed in 2015 to compliment the thousands of Sentry (set 4416) series robots produced in 2006 by the X-POD corporation for the original Nexus Force founders. Thirty-four of these newer robots were produced in 2018 as a test batch, called the Nexus Iron Friendly Teammate - Engineer class (NIFT-E) for use as spaceship ground-crew and heavy engineering duties, including fueling and heavy duty maintenance, computer updating, and guiding ships into landing zones. They are used alongside human counterparts who work on the harder to reach areas of a ship's engine, and on life support systems. Each human master mechanic (of which every base has at least two or three of them, plus several apprentices) is assigned an NIFT-E counterpart, in which they are equal partners working towards the same goal: keeping the ships flying, the base humming with life, and repair bay as empty as possible in case of emergencies. I copied this back in 2012 from a desktop download from the old LEGO Universe game. It was carefully cut out and switched to gray scale to save ink. It is the logo of the Nexus Force. Due to the Nexus Force logo not being found anywhere but a expensive mini-figure torso from a limited edition polybag, I have decided to change the logo to something different. This new logo is seen in the 2014 CITY Arctic sets. I figure this is my in-universe explanation of the logo change: This moon base-like space base model was inspired by set 60036 (Arctic Base Camp), with a rooftop shield generator partially lifted from set 75098 (Assault on Hoth) and a sensor array inspired by set 76157 (Wonder Woman VS. Cheetah) The base consists of eight separate, interchangeable, modular sections, all of which have opening roof / wall sections for ease of access. These sections include (but are not limited too): a common bunk room, a spaceship control tower, a fusion generator, communications room, break room, and several more. As you can see, I joined the base to the rail-line with a short siding for freight deliveries, and for the servicing of steam locomotives on services such as the Moonlighter passenger train. Fictional history of the base: The Nexus force landed on an ice world named DY-17, (this was soon to be renamed Ice Station Destiny) in a bit of desperation, as the Maelstrom had damaged their escape cruiser, the Bright Hope, to the point of near hyper-drive core failure. The ships sensors located no technology on the surface, and not many life forms, but a lot of geothermal activity in the form of large heat/steam vents from the core to the surface, which could be used for emergency power. The ship landed, and soon the base camp for the crew of the Bright Hope was set up. It was then discovered the planet had many mineral deposits that happen to be compatible with the metal in the Hyper-drive cooling system. So, the minerals began to be mined, and pretty soon the crew had a good operation going that was almost self-sufficient and very eco-friendly. A vote was taken, and the crew chose to stay on the ice world they re-named Ice Station Destiny, as the planet had supplied all of their wants and needs. The logo was repainted to show the original Nexus logo as a distant star, signifying the journey taken by the Bright Hope to their new home world, which was symbolized by the ice-covered world on the logo. The Bright Hope and crew were eventually discovered two years after their landing on Ice Station Destiny by the Norstas of the nearby world of Beta Polaris. Bob formed a friendship with this like-minded race, which eventually became an Alliance between the two forces, and the rest is history Common bunk room, as everyone on the base sleeps in shifts in these bunks. This corner hall module also leads outside via a back door. (not visible here) The beating Nuclear heart of the base. It is powered by cold fusion, and is situated at the center of the base, under the radio communications antenna. This deep-space communications room is where every listening post the Nexus Force has comes to bear it's potentially deadly load. What are they listening for? No, it's not the latest M-TRON corporate gossip or Blacktron III secret battle plans. It's whether the Maelstrom has figured out how to invade our universe from the old pocket dimension they have been sealed away in. This ultra top secret project has listening posts attached to an uninhibited asteroid or comet in almost every known sector of inhabited space. They plan on finding out where and when the Maelstrom ever invade (if they ever do) and planning a counterattack with all available forces before they can even fully emerge through the rip in space-time. The fusion reactor's control room. This module leads outside to the base's elevated landing pad. Upstairs is the flight control tower. This tower makes landing large spacecraft easier, and helps keep an eye out for unwanted guests. It sits on top of the previous module. These computers analyze rock samples looking for fuel traces to be mined. The break room is mostly taken from set 60036, with the addition of the Death Star plans. (Why not?) The radio array on top of the nuclear reactor. SPACE VEHICLES This ship was originally set 70816, Benny's spaceship (x3), with the Unkiitty seat and radar dish removed in favor of a skylight and laser gun turret instead. The sliding wings were redesigned to be stationary and thus provide space under the turret for commander Bob. The ship also has separate passageways for crew to walk so they don't have to go outside to go to Bob, engineering, or the bridge. More recently, I combined the ship with a more elongated nose taken from the 2015 DC Comics set 76028 (Darksied Invasion). I was inspired to build this model by this cool ship by Oran Cruzen over on MOCpages. (RIP) The ship has three areas for up to eight crew to be placed, with passageways for the figures to "walk" from section to section. The rear of the ship has three engines and a rotating, elevating laser turret above. This rocket was originally poly-bag number 55001 from the failed 2010 MMO Lego Universe. Just like in the game, it can split into three modular parts connected by Technic axles. These sections are the following: -Nose-Cone -Cockpit -Engine The rockets can be dissembled into the three component sections and are interchangeable with each other, and with about 15+ other rockets available in LDD form from the Lego Universe Wiki. Also, the completed rockets can seat 1 mini-figure each. The LEGO snow speeder design from Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back) of Star Wars fame has been using basically the same design for almost two decades (since 2004's set 4500, actually) and I have appropriated it for my LEGO Universe space fleet. Yes, I removed the gunners seat and added a new rear cockpit canopy, but it's the same basic overall design. (Ok, so I also placed fins on it from the EU Sandspeeder variant for added flair.) These two have replaced my original Nexus Force fighters from six years ago. (2016!) There is room inside each cockpit for a single figure. (Please note: The main cockpit canopies have the wrong "look" due to a mix-up. I want to order replacement ones without any printing soon.) Rear view showcasing the Speed Champions windscreen at the rear when the gunners seat / harpoon gun was. I am going to put a R2 droid head in behind the pilot for hyper-space navigation, but am as-yet unable to locate where I placed them in my collection. (I know I have some extra I just can't find them!) LAND VEHICLES This revamped model is one mean-looking space-driving machine! Partially inspired by Lola the car from the TV show Agents of Shield, (although this one doesn't fly) this is Bob's ultimate ride. It still seats one figure, although it now features a roof overhead for weather protection. The doors also open. ..and it even has room for taillights! (no exhaust pipe needed, this thing runs on clean fusion.) This model is a slightly modified version of set 60033, Arctic Ice Crawler that I call the Mobile Ice Driller . Whereas the original set has a crane hook, this one has a much more useful drill bit. The drill is used for mining energy crystals embedded deep within the ice of the frozen world on which the Neo Nexus Force is stationed. This is a very slightly modified version of set 60035: Arctic Outpost. All I really did to this one was add the symbol to the front fender. The inside of the mobile outpost is a lab, complete with Bunsen burner and microscope with crystal sample. It seems the computer hanging from the ceiling bar is off right now, as the scientist is out collecting more samples that were dug out with the Mobile Ice Drill. The rear of the model is pretty sparse in details, and as such, their isn't much to say about it. The snow speeder you see here is a simple vehicle to aid in fetching luggage and equipment across the base. It is armed with a flare gun and a radio. These come in mighty handy when the sun sets and temperatures plummet to well below minus 125 Fahrenheit! FINAL THOUGHTS Well, that's all I've built so far, but that's not the end of the story or the models. Scott Bourgeois from MOCpages has made some pretty awesome stuff related to the Neo Nexus Force, their first allies, the peaceful Norstas (from the planet Beta Polaris in orbit of the the North Star) and the common enemy, the Xantukans. (inspired by the snake cultists from Ninjago) These were visible on MOCpages, but are now long gone. EDITED 8/1/22: added pictures of the base as it was in July. (first two pics) Any thoughts / ideas / complaints would be appreciated!

To create this steampunk-like Adventurers vessel, I added six studs of length to the Destiny's Bounty (set 70618), removed the sails, lanterns, flags, plants and assorted details. I then put twin smokestacks on the deck, and dual paddle wheels amidships. I was inspired to do all this by this picture of a prototype of the Destiny's Bounty from the "Making of the Ninjago movie" book. (Pic courtesy of legozeba's Flickr page) The rear of the ship is supposed to feature "Deja Vu 2" in printed 1 x 1 tiles next to the telescope on the balcony. I'm still working on the inside details, which should hopefully have an engine room with boilers to power the paddles. I haven't thought up a backstory for this ship.... yet. (I'm still working on incorporating it into my Adventurers / Monster Fighters / Pharaoh's Quest / Alpha Team shared universe story-wise.) Any thoughts, ideas, criticism, or complaints are welcome, and are helpful in making the ship better, so please, post away!! EDIT 101/10/17: I just added restyled and enclosed ship's bridge with actual windows, plus a new name: Deja Vu 2. I bet you heard it somewhere before...

IN REALITY: This ship was originally set 70816, Benny's spaceship (x3), with the Unkiitty seat and radar dish removed in favor of a skylight and laser gun turret instead. The sliding wings were redesigned to be stationary and thus provide space under the turret for commander Bob. The ship also has separate passageways for crew to walk so they don't have to go outside to go to Bob, engineering, or the bridge. Oh yeah, and it's orange now! I was inspired to build this model by this cool ship by Oran Cruzen as seen here. IN FICTION: The Bright Future was designed with help from Benny the 1980-something space guy. This heavily armed ship was designed to replace the lighter Bright Hope, which was heavily damaged in a firefight between two Maelstrom Void-Ships. (The enemy was defeated with help from the allied Nortsa sister ship Shining Star and the Odyssey II space laser, but at great cost.) The glaring problems in the design of the Bright Hope led the design crew to the master space-designer Benny, who in turn took his original SPACESHIP(!) design to the next level with more armor and sleeker wing profile. The wings were then redesigned to reduce hyper-space speed but allow for greater range. Bob was even given an office where the wing extender mechanism was! The rear of the ship has three engines. The rear of the ship has three engines and a rotating, elevating quad-gun turret. This small and nimble fighter was designed after looking at a Classic Space model I found on my hard-drive. (I think it was inspired by a model my brother bought off Brick-Link a couple years back.) Anyway, I then tore the model apart and have added four guns, larger wings, and the larger air intakes from my Nexus tower rocket. The ship features an enlarged cockpit with controls and seating for one figure. The rear of the model features one tail-fin and two engines exhaust ports. The rest of my Neo-Nexus force stuff is seen in topics here and here. Comments, Questions, & complaints are always welcome!

In this thread you will find my own Classic Space space vessels, exo-bases and ground vehicles. Cosmic Explorer Built in 2012-13 for the Classic Space Supreme Commander, Benny the 1980-something space guy. It came equipped with a pocket for Unikitty during the Battle for Octan Tower. After the battle, this pocket was removed. (Unikitty turned down Benny's offer for a commission to Classic Space command, and has set out as a director actor in Movies & TV. See her latest film, "Johnny Thunder & the Temple of Gloom" for more info.) The area was replaced with a canopy for the crew to see outside from their stations near the Imagination Reactor, while the sensor array was replaced by a four-barrel repeating laser turret. This ship in it's original form (plus it's pilot Benny and his freinds) are featured in The LEGO Movie. Here you can see the inside of the vessel. Their are three seats up front in the main cockpit, and four more seats in the rear compartment. You can also see the rear turret tuned and elevated. It's design was inspired by fighter and bomber airplanes of Earth history. The ship's stats: Ship Name: Cosmic Explorer Model: LL929 “Voyager” class Command Cruiser Manufacturer: Classic Space Shipyards Engines: 3 Mega Imagination Reactors Max Speed: 5,100 MPH Weapons: 4 forward-fixed laser hi-pulse guns & 4 turret-based laser hi-pulse guns Max Hyper Speed: 80% speed of light LDD file for Benny's ssS: http://www.moc-pages...1452610235m.lxf Deep Space Fighters These ships are deep space fighters of the Galaxy-class. Each seat one figure and have enhanced hyper-drive making it nearly as fast as LL-929. (Benny's spaceship) This ship was designed to be a heavily-armed fighter, and features an enclosed cockpit allowing for long distance travel such as from system to system if in an emergency. Here is the cockpit, which can seat 1 pilot figure. The ships' stats are identical for both vessels: Owner: Classic Space Command Model: “Galaxy” class deep space fighter Manufacturer: Classic Space Shipyards Engines: 2 Imagination Reactors Max Speed: 3,100 MPH Weapons: 4 forward-fixed laser hi-pulse guns Max Hyper Speed: 50% speed of light LDD file for the fighter: http://www.mocpages....1415380096m.lxf Benny's Classic Space automobile This car was originally built by Benny to be used to shuttle himself to his work at Classic Space Command HQ and secret master builder meetings, and eventually to his SPACESHIP(!)'s hanger after the end of Octan Corporation hostilities. The ship was not featured in the film made about those events, but nonetheless was seen in the studio parking lot as Benny drove it to play himself in the movie. It currently is stationed on the planet Zonia, where Benny (along with all the other Classic Spacemen) lives. The inside of the car features two seats, opening doors, and steering wheel, among other devices / abilities. The rear of the car features the Classic space logo, identity plates, and double taillights. Statistics for the car: Owner: Benny the 1980-something space guy Model: “Meteor” class vehicle Year built: 1978 Manufacturer: Classic Space Motors Power-plant: V6 Imagination-fueled engine Max Speed: 80 MPH Classic Space security forces' Exo-Terrain Vhicle (ETV) This model was heavily inspired by set 75916: Dilophosaurus Ambush from the Jurassic World sets. I have turned it into a Classic Space vehicle by subtracting most of the features and adding the CS logo to this piece on the hood: http://www.bricklink...sp?P=30363pb021 and a space seat for the driver. The rear of the model features a removable spare tire. I plan on getting two of these jeeps for the space base. Statistics for the jeep: Owner: Classic Space Command Model: “Exo -Terrain Vehicle (ETV) class vehicle Year built: 1988 Manufacturer: Classic Space Motors Power-plant: V8 Imagination-fueled engine Max Speed: 95 MPH LDD file for the jeep: http://www.mocpages....1444615201m.lxf Classic Space ground command / flight control center I was originally inspired by the 2010 CITY set number 3182 (Airport) to make this improved control tower for my Classic Space base MOC. It is supposed to feature Classic Space printing on the blue 4 x 2 slopes, like this: http://www.bricklink...sp?P=30363pb021 The front of the building also features a Classic Space statue, which can either use a Regular white astronaut torso, or the statue torso from Space Police III line. Here you can see the inside of the model, with the second floor and roof being removable from the first floor. On the ground floor is Command and Control, also known as C&C. This is where the ground forces are dispatched and fighter squadrons are launched. It is also where communications are tracked, recorded and, if necessary, relayed to other bases / space vessels / commanders. The second floor is where Benny the 1980-something space guy's office is. it features a desk with telephone and lamp, a bed for those long nights working on battle plans / spaceship designs, and a model space base for when he needs to get away from it all. (the back of the model has blank walls, no details , and as such is not shown) LDD file for the command center model: http://www.moc-pages...1453820529m.lxf Comments, questions, and complaints welcome!

Due for general release in June, Benny's Spaceship is possibly the most eagerly anticipated set of the year so far, and certainly that of the LEGO Movie range. Sporting the approximate livery of the early 'Blue Era' Classic Space sets, and the ringed planet CS logo, the ship might be considered a spiritual successor to the exalted 497/928 Galaxy Explorer: regarded by many as one of the finest LEGO sets of all time. I was lucky to win this set as a prize in a speed-building competition at the Eurobricks Event 2014 - though they were selling the set at the LEGOLAND Park. Let's see if the model lives up to expectations. Review: 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! Set Information Name: Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! Number: 70816 Theme: The LEGO Movie Release: June 2014 Parts: 939 Figures: 5 (including Astro Kitty) Price: GB £<unknown> | US $99.99 | EUR <unknown> | AU $<unknown> | CA $<unknown> | DKK 899 (as I recall) Links ... Shop@Home ... Brickset ... Bricklink ... Peeron The Box Click for a larger frontal image The ship just about squeezes on to the front of the glossy box; not helped by the enormity of the LEGO Movie logo which obscures part of the model. Behind is a faux-CITY backdrop, picked out in contrasting orange to highlight the mostly-blue set; there's a lovely use of parallel lines from the film-strip motifs flanking the long ship to give the illusion of speed, spoiled only slightly by the reverse perspective of the film strip in the top left corner. The five figures occupy the bottom right corner; they are shown again in 1:1 scale on the box top. The design of the rear of the box is rather clever. The film-strip decorations here diverge in a pattern resembling a movie clapperboard; the space between is bisected by the LEGO-ish fencing, and the resulting halves filled by the ship and its various accessories respectively. Click for a larger image Various play-features are demonstrated in the insets along the bottom - we'll see them in action later - and the final inset reminds us that the set is from the LEGO Movie - if the gigantic logo on the front was too subtle. I am pleased to see that the box opens with side flaps, requiring no tearing to get inside. The Instructions The two manuals come in a cardboard-backed bag, so mine were pristine. Both are of similar thickness; their glossy covers have acres of space making the ship look a little lost. You will be delighted to find that the Win! page at the rear of book one has had a long-awaited makeover. Inside, the building steps sit against a CREATOR-style blue background with yellow edging. This and the blue and grey hues of the model itself combine to make the instructions rather dark, as best seen on the introduction page; however, I didn't encounter any colour confusion during the build. The instruction steps are nicely paced, and throughout there's the feeling that you're making progress; though some steps have you adding only one part, it's usually an important part. The rear of manual two contains the usual set inventory; click the links for pages one, two, and three. Stickers Well, we knew there would be some. The decal sheet is printed on clear plastic; the large number of white decals necessitated the use of a black background for the photo. I was disappointed to find that the Classic Space logos on the large blue tails are stickered; however, that of the 2x4 slopes is printed. Still, at least this means you could potentially use the stickers elsewhere. The rows of computer screens on the left are shout-outs to these pieces which sadly are no longer produced; centre-top is a temperature-gauge panel featuring the characters LL20791. If you need me to explain the significance of 'LL929' then go and read this! The Parts Seven polybags (officially 'pre-packs', I learned in Billund ) each build a separate module; see them all here. It is possible to build each separately, and assemble them together at the end, but there will be a few pieces left loose until you put them all together. Bag One builds the smaller ships, Emmet, Wyldstyle and the Robot Pilot: Highlights of this selection for me are the four black inverted bows, new to me but in several sets since last year; the gun with clip, which features in several Movie sets; and the Piece of Resistance, new here in (I think) pearl dark grey Flat Silver. New in blue and in a separate bag at the bottom right is Wyldstyle's hoodie piece, which we'll see later. Classic Space is represented by the 1985 droid body, the 1978 plate with handles, and the space seat bracket which first appeared in 1984. None are especially rare nowadays. The remaining modules all build the ship; I've partnered two together for speed. More space seats appear in modules two and three, which begin to show off the colour scheme of blue, greys light and dark, black and yellow. The incongruous red brick will be buried deep inside the model, you may be relieved to know. It's a fairly unremarkable selection here, but you will be pleased to see that the Classic Space logo is indeed printed on the 2x4 slope. This part never featured a logo in the original Classic Space sets; it wasn't released until 1999. Whether TLG have deliberately avoided using 2x3 slopes (which did appear with the CS logo) to prevent flooding the classic market is anyone's guess. I've also shown a close-up of the space seat pieces, and this inverted 2x8x2 double-curve which appears only in two other sets since last year. Benny and Astro Kitty first appear in bag five, shown here with bag four. The big cockpit canopy from the latest UCS X-Wing, here in trans-yellow, is hard to miss. Note that the jumper plates (centre-bottom) are the newer mold design with a lip and central stud-grip; to the right of these are four 12L flexible hoses which appear in several Movie sets. Highlights of these two modules are the trans-yellow 1x4 wall elements, found previously only in 2010's Lunar Limo; the three 1x1 plates, new in pearl gold (one is spare); and the new 2x2 corner tiles, found only in the Friends Sunshine Ranch and the Simpsons House. The printed 1x4 tile is worthy of mention. In the instructions and set inventory, the printing is shown as 'MA-XXXXXXXX', so I assume the characters are chosen at random at the time of printing, effectively making each set unique. I'll be interested to see which codes others get. There's more Classic Space appeal in bags six and seven, and I'm not talking just about the two more CS logo slopes. Two jet engines, first appearing in 1981 and last seen in 2010's Luke's Landspeeder, accompany the obligatory loudspeakers/manoeuvring thrusters which no Classic Spaceship should be without. There are more droid body parts, here used for their original purpose, and accompanied by the original droid arms, which are still in regular use today. There are even a couple of the original 2x2-2x2 brackets, here in black. The big Technic shooters are new with a yellow tip, but I don't suppose you care. The Figures From left to right: Robot Pilot, Astro Kitty, Space Wyldstyle, Benny, and Robo Emmet. I'm not sure how many of these (or at least their costumes) were in the Movie; certainly Emmet did the robot head thing later in the film, and Benny is Benny. I've only seen it the once. We'll start with the boring characters. Robot Pilot wears an 'evil-Octan' flight suit over - interestingly - a suit and tie . His head wouldn't look out of place in the Star Wars universe, though there is no alternative 'face' on the rear. Neither is there for Robo Emmet, but at least his aluminium foil head continues round the rear. Apart from the head, Emmet is very similar to his Collectable Minifigure equivalent, except with light bluish grey hands ... ... and silver printing on the feet, which continues onto the side of the legs. I can't recall whether this featured in the film. Next up, the girls (assuming Kitty is a girl; you never know!). Kitty has the pearl gold 1x1 plates as her feet; the rest of her costume resembles a blue space-suit, with its own CS logo printed - albeit badly, in my case - on the 1x3 arch. Her head is designed to look like you're seeing her face through a blue helmet, and it's reasonably successful. Space Wyldstyle is - in my opinion - the highlight of the figures. She's got a curvaceous torso, similar to her regular black outfit2, but with a Classic Space-esque motif which continues onto the legs, and round the back; best of all, she's got a spiffing hoodie which is a separate piece, and I hope we'll see more of that outside the Movie range. Note that, unlike her black outfit as it appears in the Super Cycle Chase2, she does not have a printed arm, and there is a black mark on the torso neck, suggesting she's Made in Denmark. I expect Benny will be sought-after, at least because he only appears in this and the Sea Cow - the two most expensive sets in the range. Here he is with a classic blue spaceman (Benny is at positions 1, 2, and 4 if it's not immediately obvious ): I like the way that Benny looks like an aged classic figure without being too similar - CS logos lose their gold by fading far more easily than they get scratched, and the helmet is of course a new mold. His classic smiley is slightly different to the older ones, and he has his crazy manic look on the reverse. Benny's helmet has a much thicker chinstrap than the original, itself of the 'thick chinstrap' variant; the alternative 'thin chinstrap' type was notoriously prone to cracking: hence the joke with Benny's. I seem to have both thin and thick types in my CS collection. Benny has been designed to be distinct from the generic Space figures - mostly likely to make him a unique character, rather than to prevent upsetting the market for those who stockpile classic space figures. The Build To cut down on the length of the review, I've chosen to show the build process via a series of thumbnail images, with a few larger pictures to highlight interesting techniques. Module One builds the smaller ships; you'll get to see them later, but see here and here for their unstickered versions. The instructions direct you to assemble the ship as you go, but modules one and two are built separately until the end of bag 2; I've build each module individually. I wouldn't recommend this, as it makes attaching some of the later sections a little tricky. Click each thumbnail for a larger image: The rear section forms a cross of Technic rectangles, with tiling suggesting function to come. Onto this is bolted the forward cockpit and centre section, mostly built onto aircraft fuselage bottom parts. Next come the wings and middle/bottom engine ... ... which slot into the rear cross section to produce the following mechanism: Pushing the engine in slides the wings out. Simple yet clever; we'll see what effect this produces later. Note the three pronged plates at the inboard edge of each wing - these are used to attach the big Technic guns. Now some bitty sections are added: some as sub-builds, others built directly onto the emerging ship. In the first image, you can see how the engine intakes are created as SNOT-mounted castle windows; the octagonal section at the lower right contains an intriguing trench whose walls a formed of 2x4 SNOT brackets: it too me a moment or two to work out what this was for. Image two shows the big rear engine mounts, with some SNOT panelling disguising Technic beams, and a plate with some minor greebling and two droids. Finally some smaller sub-builds complete the ship. The Classic Space logo'd flaps contain a couple of nice tecnhiques: Firstly, the prongs of the trap door piece are 'converted' to Technic size with the use of stud-pins, creating a perfect fit to the 1x4 Technic bricks. Kudos to the part designers here for their forethought! I was delighted to see how the radar dishes are attached to the 2x2-2x2 brackets using an aircraft wheel hub, which effectively acts as a stud reverser here. A brilliant use of an otherwise unremarkable part. Note also the 2x2 round tile with centre hole, here holding an inverted stud. This is also used to attach the jet engines to the blue tails in the final module; it forms a very strong attachment. There are several of this very useful part in the set. The Finished Model Spaceship, We'll start with the little ships, which are rather cute: Two identical blue/grey flyers bear a distinct Classic Space resemblance with the 3W cones attached to space seat pieces. The trans-yellow canopies are stickered to produce what I suppose is a Head-Up Display; note that the 82/28 printed display tile is mounted upside down in the '28' position, for no particular reason that I can fathom. Underneath this are blue male clicky-hinges, one on each side, which are the attachment points for these ships onto the wing pieces of the main ship. Spaceship, Next up is the diminutive enemy craft: a dinky one-man ship stickered with the space-Octan logo: I really like this. The upsloping flag panels give it a vampiric look, helped by the purposeful-looking weaponry and powerful engines. The livery is to my eye somewhere between Blacktron and Space Police, though I confess I'm not too familiar with either of those lines. The inside is roomy, and the Robot Pilot sits comfortably in what is essentially a flying cockpit with wings. SNOT brackets hold the wings in place firmly, and a special mention goes to the SNOT-mounted 1x4 bows, attached cleverly via a headlight brick and a 1x1 brick with side stud. The three ships make a nice little playset on their own: All are swooshable, making for a nice aerial battle if you have three hands. I guess the blue ships are meant for atmospheric flight, as they aren't exactly airtight (though that doesn't seem to have been a problem for TLG in the past3 ). SPACESHIP! Click for an alternative image Similar to promotional pictures and the box art, this view will be familiar to many. The frontal oblique angle tends to emphasise the sleek low-profile design, and disguise the true size of the ship, which came as a bit of a surprise to me. I do like the gentle tapering of the front, both laterally and in profile; I can live without the flick-fire missiles, but the shape would probably look a little odd without the forward outriggers they are mounted to. The nose-cone is rather reminiscent of 1981's 6929 Star Fleet Voyager4. The low-profile design is even more apparent when viewed from the front; I could imagine the ship would be very streamlined if that mattered in any way in space. Admittedly, the overall design with its sleek nose, wings, and lovely but superfluous engine air intakes looks rather more befitting an aircraft than a spacecraft: a role at which it excels in the film, as I recall. Click each thumbnail for a larger image Round the back, the three large engines have exhaust flames formed by 1x1 round tiles on stud pins; there are only four on the bottom/middle engine, as two of the stud holes are used for 3L friction pins; these can be replaced if you like to keep things consistent, with only minimal risk of the central axle sliding out. See an oblique view of the engines here. I love the way the oblique-mounted tails sit almost parallel on each side. This side view isn't especially dynamic (click the picture for a more 'action'-esque shot), but it demonstrates some important points. Firstly, the wedge-shaped profile is most apparent from this angle: the rise from the skinny nose to the bulky tail is quite dramatic, and the angle perfectly extends the rake of the cockpit canopy. Click for an alternative image Secondly, the underside sits flat on whatever surface it is placed: there is no landing gear; and not even any inverted domes to reduce scratching when it is inevitably slid along the antique dining room table. I'm disappointed by this, but not particularly surprised: this is very much an action set; however, since the model will undoubtedly appeal to casual adult fans even beyond the usual AFOL demographic, it would be nice to have some way to display it. A UCS-style stand would work, but if given a choice I'd plump for retractable landing gear, which would help to disguise those ugly Technic blocks which are all-too visible under the wings. There is, after all, plenty of room for landing gear underneath the wings, though you'd have to modify the front end somehow to make a tripod. This is the best view to appreciate the ship's overall shape: the sides slope gently at the front, with the angle becoming steeper around the centre section, until it sweeps outward around the wings, and tapering again at the rear. Does it remind you of anything?5 On the whole, the colours work well here, though some of the black is a little incongrous, particularly the flick-fire mounts at the front. I'm not so keen on the blue plate on the base of the middle engine; this is blue to ensure all the 2x8 plates in the set are the same colour. The shape is admittedly less easy to discern from the top, but you do get to see how each section of the ship bulks out progressively front to rear. Click for an alternative image This is an excellent time to comment on the stickers, which are present I think more for the Classic Space reference than because they add to the model; you can compare to the set without stickers here or here. Certainly, the 'LL929' decals are part of the set's charm, and the white stripe along the sides of the cockpit looks smart, even if it isn't completely essential. The CS logo stickers on the rear tails are a must; they look great and are easy to apply, unlike some of the others as we shall see later. You can easily swap out stickered pieces for spares as none are placed across multiple pieces. As we move toward the rear, the bulk of the rearward hull becomes apparent, and you start to get a better idea of the size of this thing: Click for an alternative image Note the manoeuvring thrusters - a prerequisite of any Classic Space vessel; though here they have the 'green-for-starboard, red-for-port' lights configuration of aircraft, real or LEGO (these days, at least). The shapely contours of the rear engine casings can be seen at the back. The gaps between the body and the wing flanges are a little unsightly - exposing the Technic bricks as they do - and not altogether necessary, since the flanges do not need to lift beyond horizontal and indeed will flap around if the ship is inverted. You can see this gap clearly in this three-quarter view, which is otherwise a lovely angle. Click for an alternative image Note the Technic clutch pieces forming what I suppose are exhausts from outrigger engines, in homage to the great 497/928, though they are diminutive next to the three enormous main thrusters. Under these are the firing triggers for the big Technic guns. Some blue slopes make for neat C-shaped contouring of the rearmost hull. Features Now we've had a good look round the outside, it's time to see what the ship can do. First up, a closer look at the nose section: Note the modern take on the Classic Space 3x6 slope. The huge, detailed logo is lacking, but the dark grey stripes and the contouring of the corner wedges do help to smarten and modernise the look. I like the way the latters' angle is continued forward, tapering to the blue nose cone. Again, the black flick-fire mounts look a little out of place; I think dark or light bluish grey would have been a better choice. Note how the cockpit canopy sits flush with the 1x3 slopes at its rear, just like in the UCS X-Wing. The big cockpit canopy can open to ninety degrees, revealing a spacious interior with seating for three, even allowing for hoodies, airtanks or pieces of resistance. There's even space for coffee cups or radios, though Benny's radio will rattle around with nowhere to clip it. Two modern printed control panels sit under red and green lights: presumably Benny has trouble remembering left from right. One of the Classic Space computer stickered panels is partly visible; this one is nicely applied, the other is wonky despite my best efforts. Here are the three humanoid protagonists in situ: Wyldstyle's seat is raised a little higher to allow for the join between aircraft fuselage bases; I think she'd choose this seat. Although Emmet can sit comfortably even wearing his Piece, his helmet prevents closing the cockpit lid fully in this position. Removing the Piece allows him to lean back slightly, solving the problem. You can see this view of the cockpit without the figures here. Behind the cockpit, we find the 2x4 SNOT bracket-lined trench which is where, of course, Astro Kitty sits, as I'm sure you've figured. I hope her costume is indeed a spacesuit, as she's open to vacuum here. She has another control panel, this time in '82' configuration, but no way to use it unless her whiskers are more than just sensory. She doesn't actually attach to the yellow round brick, so the droid body behind acts as a kind of latch to stop her falling out. Pulling the black bush-pins behind ... ... allows the octagonal section to separate entirely, creating a little flying saucer for Kitty. It isn't clear whether this is a deliberate feature, and the black pins aren't easy to pull out, but it's kinda cool to have a section that separates. Kitty's flying saucer is heavily armed with those spring lasers. I'm sure kids think they're awesome, but I hate them, and their placement on this model - in the place you find most natural to put your thumb if picking the ship up with one hand - will ensure they soon disappear behind the furniture. No wonder the set comes with a spare. It is certainly intended for the saucer to hinge - lifting it reveals another compartment: Here Emmet and Wyldstyle can sit and do important things, not excluding drinking coffee, though the computer panels suggest these things should include work. It isn't quite possible to close the lid with them sitting there, unless you remove hoodies and Pieces and whatnot. See the section without figures here. Note the 'LATCH' stickers flanking the saucer. The irony? It doesn't latch. I would guess this area is the engineering bay, as the forward area contains tools, and at the rear is a stickered window looking at a dalek brick (1x1 with studs on all sides) with a yellow gem in each face. I presume this is meant to be a power source, dilithium crystal or whatever. It's a nice touch which would be a whole lot easier to see were it not for the damn sticker. It's a nice decal, but it decided it would immediately attach itself at a kooky angle, and removing it to reposition left half of the adhesive behind. And this is why I HATE STICKERS. A note on the black and yellow parts visible in this and the previous shot. There's a lot of black and yellow in the set, referring to the bumblebee stripes of the original Blue Era CS sets, but it is used more as filler rather than decoration. Perhaps that's a good thing, but I for one wouldn't be averse to a little more black and yellow striping on the ship. Progressing towards the stern, we encounter the radar dish which till now I've left in the 'down' position. It lifts in a manner reminiscent of the rear radar of the great 6980 Galaxy Commander4, except this one rotates too. Underneath are two little droids very much in the style of the 1980s robots which first appeared around 1985: I presume these are repair droids, judging by how they are stowed away, but I guess they could be multi-purpose. Another thoughtful and unexpected touch. Now we come to the flagship feature of the set: the extending wings. Pushing the centre/bottom engine in extends both wings outward in a single, smooth, easy movement: Click for a larger image This pushes the big Technic guns into their 'ready to fire' position. It sounds a little lame, but it's really rather effective, and fun; also, it greatly increases the wingspan, particularly if ... ... you attach the little blue/grey ships to the wingtips: Note how one wing folds to allow the little craft to dock; if the other wing remains extended, it perfectly continues the taper of the wing. A beautiful feature. As I was saying, with the smaller craft attached and the wings extended, the wingspan is very impressive: As, indeed, is this ship as a whole. ... But is it Classic Space? Well of course it isn't, you silly, it's a LEGO Movie set. Still, you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise, even allowing for the clash of old and new and grey, and even though the ideal comparator - the iconic 928 itself - isn't shown here. (My restored Classic Space sets are packed away, and you can't dismantle and rebuild these old sets willy-nilly without cracking a few parts on the way). Benny's spaceship is a homage to the original: it is rather more a modern take on the old classics; perhaps what TLG would have produced today had the Blue Era line miraculously continued to the present. Call it Neo-Classic Space; with the LEGO Ideas (formerly CUUSOO) Exo-Suit coming later this year I do hope for a bit of a Classic Space revival. Conclusion Even without the nostalgia, this is a cool ship. It is sleek, streamlined, yet sturdy; there is just the right balance between functionality and greebling; it is fun for play and great for display. Add in the Classic Space charm and the set hits another dimension of awesome. There are things the designer might have done differently: the ship could have been built with an opening rear, like 497/928, or with separating sections, like 6980; however, I think they were wise to keep the set different enough to prevent it being branded a re-hash of an old classic. I would like to have seen landing gear, or other ground-based activity, which was one of the charms of the old range; this is very much a model for swooshing. But it's still pretty awesome. Of course, I'm writing from the perspective of an AFOL who fondly remembers the originals, and my definition of cool might not match that of the set's target demographic, or even younger AFOLs to whom Spyrius was perhaps the epitome of awesome. Because, let's face it, the model wasn't included in the Movie, and subsequently made into a set, just for us die-hard AFOLs; it is there to appeal to that other mysterious - and much larger - group of people: those who had LEGO as a kid, but no longer routinely collect or build LEGO, but who just happen to be the right age to be taking their kids to the cinema. Design & Build 9 She's a beautiful and cleverly-designed ship, and an engaging and enjoyable build; a point is lost only for the lack of landing gear. Parts 7 There are a heap of big parts with limited uses, so you'd be unlikely to buy the set as a parts pack unless you're building Neo-Classic Space. Figures 9 Four of the figures are exclusive to this set, and Benny is only available otherwise in the pricier Sea Cow; you've got to love Wyldstyle's outfit. I'm not sure quite how collectable the figures are, though. Playability 9 Opening hatches, detachable ships, a rather one-sided battle with a dinky black ship, shooty things and extendable wings - the set is a load of fun. If I have one concern it's that the ship might be a little too large for small hands to handle easily, but I'm sure TLG have tested for this! Value 8 It's a little hard for me to judge as I don't yet know the UK price, but based on US $100 the value doesn't look so great part for cent. However, you do get and awesome ship and a bunch of exclusive figures. Overall 84% My Score 9/10 For me, this set is the highlight of the LEGO Movie range. If you're a TLM aficionado, or a Space fan, or you like anything that flies, or you just want a cheaper Benny, then this set is a must. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the review. Please leave a comment! Rufus References & Acknowledgements More pictures on my flick r album Photo credits: [1] Rocket Brick at Marutan.net with some great Classic Space resources [2] Picture and Link to Clone O'Patra's 70808 Super Cycle Chase Review [3] Greg Hyland's comics at FBTB [4] Star Fleet Voyager and Galaxy Commander pictures from 1000steine via Brickset [5] Classic Space Logo slope by drdavewatford at Gimme Lego Thanks to KimT for the prize, CopMike and Bonaparte for the Event organisation See other The LEGO Movie reviews here

Hello, long time since I have posted something in Eurobricks at all. And this subforum is not the place I visit too often... But anyways, I have bought the LEGO set 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! and it was a fun build and I like the model. It was my brother that had many LEGO set from the space theme, I was more of the Technic guy in my childhood. But I still like the classic space theme. About a week from now the "LEGO Build The Change" event will start in many cities in Norway. Here in my town we are a few members of Brikkelauget that will have a little exhibition with diffrent MOC's and original LEGO sets. The theme for this year is Transport and Communication. So a big spaceport with classic space is going to be a part of the exhibition. To keep small fingers from small visitors away from our models it is very nice to have a train running around on a track on the outside where the models are. So what kind of train goes outside a spaceport? And what kind of bricks did I have to make this? It had to be in the Classic Space colors, but I don't have much trans yellow except what was in the 70816 set. So then I set the challenge for myself: make a train out of the parts from only that set. I only added train wheels, PF trainmotor, PF receiver and a PF batterybox. And a few hours later this was the result: More pictures can bee seen here: It has a very low Q-value to be a creation from me. Especially the front part is not very secure. I hope you like the creation :)