Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'galaxy explorer'.
Found 14 results
-
It was the year 1979 when LEGO launched one of the sets that became among the most iconic in the AFOL world: the 497 set or better known as 928. The set was proposed with two different codes: 497 with the title of "Galaxy Explorer" and 928 with the title of "Space Cruiser and Moonbase". The Classic Space theme was launched just a year earlier in 1978 and this set became a legend because it represented the most beautiful and largest spaceship in the entire fleet. It is incredible to think of the success that this set of only 338 pieces has had if we compare it to those on sale today, but in those days we were children who dreamed of having this box and our best memories are linked to it. In '79 I was just 5 years old and I have never been able to have this box, too expensive for my parents, but I have always dreamed of it looking at it in the catalogs. Finally as an adult I looked for it and managed to buy it! All this premise was used to introduce my new work: the Galaxy Explorer SDR-926! This year I am 10 years old as AFOL and I thought about making mocs that have a special meaning for me. The first of these was the desire to make a spaceship of some importance! SDR-926 wants to be a tribute to the 928 but with very different characteristics and numbers. Number 926 represents the birth of my daughter. The spaceship measures 85 x 75 x 21 cm and is made up of almost 4600 pieces! It took me 5 intense months to make it because it contains several features and functionalities in a single work. Main features and functions: 1) exploration ship removable from above with revolving lever 2) control room 3) removable panel to observe the central hall of the spaceship 4) three landing gears 5) foldable and removable wings 6) revolving laser cannons with levers 7) engines and hatch that can be opened 8 ) access ramp that can be opened with a lever 9) ground exploration vehicle with revolving radar 10) Excellent rigidity thanks to a basic structure composed of technic elements 11) disassembly of the spaceship in blocks 12) support for display with identification plate Main informations: Name: Galaxy Explorer SDR-926 Dimensions: 85 x 75 x 21 cm Parts number: 4200 pieces Number of parts with stand: 4580 pieces Minifigs: 8 Classic Space minifigs Main colors: Blue, Light Bluish Gray, Transparent Yellow Weight (spaceship only): 4370 gr Weight with stand: 4740 gr The spaceship is quite impressive if you compare it with the old LL 928, but it draws the same colors and a lot of playability, but with many more features. It is a spaceship built with care and attention to detail without forgetting an excellent sturdiness of the whole structure (made with technic blocks). For the first time I have also decided to try my hand at making the instructions that will be available in the future, as soon as I can complete the job! Visit my photo gallery on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdrnet/albums/72157719328861377
-
After the initial speculations by Stonewars, we now have a confirmation by Promobricks that there will be another 90th anniversary set coming out this summer. A re-imagined Classic Space 947 Galaxy Explorer (US), aka 928 Classic Cruiser and Moon Base in Europe, from 1979. But the main focus will be on the spaceship alone, a 3D or printed baseplate and communications tower will NOT be included. The cockpit consists of two back-to-back 12 x 6 x 2 windscreen pieces in trans yellow (the same part as used in 70816 Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!). The propulsion engines are more detailed and the overall look of the spaceship is less studded and the wing tips are completely tiled. The cockpit is equipped with various consoles, and there are also different consoles and sleeping quarters in the crew area. Also the Classic Space logo and "LL928" will be printed. As with the original, the rear section can be folded out to the left and right, revealing a small rover exploration vehicle. The crew of the LEGO 10497 Galaxy Explorer consists of four astronauts, two in white and two in red Classic Space suits. Stonewars also mentions a small brick-built robot. The set consist of 1254 parts and will most likely not be LEGO exclusive and retail for 109.99 €. Set number: 10497 Name: Galaxy Explorer Piece count: 1254 Number of minifigures: 4 (2 red and 2 white Classic Spacemen) Release date: August 1 2022 Availability: LEGO Price: 109.99 99.99 Euro Size: W = 32 cm (12.6"), L = 52.5 cm (20.7") Official images:
-
10497 Galaxy Explorer is set to retire at the end of this year, 2023. Any ideas on how well or badly it sold? If it sold well, that would encourage LEGO to produce more Classic Space sets. If it didn’t, that would augur badly for CS. It’s known that some LEGO designers have a soft spot for CS, but if sales have been below target, they’d have a hard time making the business case for more. Where I am in the southeast of the UK, most LEGO stores are out of stock of 10497 with no prospect of getting more. You can still get it on lego.com gb the last time I checked. How did it sell where you are? Well? badly? Please say where you are when you reply - thanks.
-
Hi all! I made this Galaxy Explorer Ground Base from the leftover parts in set 10497 after building the smallest One Man Space Ship alt build. This is the original: Here's mine: In addition to the command base & comm tower, there's a power station, small landing pad, some craters, a small speeder, and a rover. Command base: Comm tower: Power station: Landing pad and speeder: Rover (which I think is hilarious because the truck/storage bed is under the driver's seat): Anyway, I had a ton of fun building this. Thanks for looking!
-
Hi all! I've built a spaceship using the leftover parts from 10497 alt build 1. I call it the Galaxy Roadster. I was able to make the space ship along with a landing pad, landing beacon, and parking enforcement robot. More pics here if you're interested. Thanks! -
Let's stablish something before I start typing. I love 10497 and I think it pays homage to the 1979 version. So I'm not saying it was bad, but it could be epic.Here are some highlights to prove my point. 1.- Too many G.E. redesign MOCs. I´ve seen maybe a hundred Galaxy Explorer remakes in the last 5 years, but I saw one in particular reviewed in a youtube channel, before they released the 10497, which had almost the same features and even had retractable landing gear. So for me the 10497 is the perfect Galaxy Explorer MOC. But was something we been seeing for years. 2.- "Too small" remake. 1245 pieces is a lot of pieces for a set, but, if you compare that amount of pieces with 10305 Lion´s Knight castle's 4514 pieces castle "remake", it feels short. Imagine what the designer would be capable of if he had those 3250+ pieces to work with? 3.- Landing pad and base. The achiles heel of 10497. The ship design is magnificent, However, even the designer of the set stated that he had to leave out the base and landing pad. A true shame. 500 more pieces and two 48 x 48 baseplates would made a world of diference. 4.- New trans yellow pieces. We already had a large 13252 trans yellow windscreen from 70816 Bennys spaceship..... also all the other trans yellow pieces in the set had been released previously. Something Classic Space fans are always looking for are new elements in trans yellow color, since is rare Lego Group uses them in sets and even more rare realeases new ones. Let's be honest here, wouldn't you like the set even better if there were 1x4x3 panels or a large curved windscreen never before released in trans yellow? 5.- Shock and Awe factor. The helper droid was a great add on and the best option they had since benny already used the other type of 80s droid. The rocket sleds were a shock and awe add on to the original ship. So I have nothing against those new features, but it could be even more features in it. Ever felt butterflies when entering the toy isle at your local walmart or Kmart back in the 80s the first weeks of january? You didn't knew what to expect form the new Classic Space sets back in the good old days. New features, new designs, new pieces.... That's the problem with the 10497, you already had a prelimilar idea of what to expect and that was the main problem with 10497, I feel the base had more potential to include new features than the spaceship itself: Retractable dome roof landing pad, modular base, maintenance machinery, loading-unloading crane, new color astronaut, minifig, a small blacktron spy vehicle, I can go on. Bottom line, 10497 is a great Lego set, but knowing what Lego designers are capable of creating, it could be even more awesome.
-
[moc] Classic space u-wing UT-928D Galaxy Transporter, alternate build of 10947 Galaxy Explorer
Themiddlebrick posted a topic in LEGO Sci-Fi
I wanted to present my alternate build for set 10947 Galaxy Explorer, I call it the UT-928D Galaxy Transporter! I wanted to create something for the Classic Space competition here and ever since I built my copy of 10497 with its dual windscreens I had this idea to make a classic space version of my favorite Star Wars ship the U-Wing. However, once I got started I realized with the size of the canopies staying within the 40 stud limit would be impossible while retaining the sleek proportions of the U-wing. So I changed from the limitations set by the rules of the contest to keeping it an alternate build, using only pieces found in set 10497. With a secondary goal of retaining the most important features of the U-Wing - 4 large aft mounted engines, sweeping wings (or s-foils), a cockpit with full 180 forward visibility (or the ability for pilot to see straight down) and accessible cargo/passenger space. I'm happy to say I was able to meet all these goals, although in order to stabilize the mechanism for opening the cargo bay doors I had to add one 1L axle/pin and two 2L axle/pins each for stability/friction. I justified this by thinking most people will have these in their collection anyways and it was important that the doors actually stay shut! I feel pretty good about how this turned out given the restrictions of the set pieces and the design of the ship. I just managed to pick up a second copy for %50 off though and I'm already thinking about how I could use it to make a "UCS" version! But for now I will let this one take up a place of pride on the shelf and move onto other projects! I hope you have enjoyed looking and thank you for reading this far! Please let me know if you have any questions. And yes instructions are available on rebrickable, you can just search my user name or UT-928D there to find them! -
Hello. The release of the new Galaxy Explorer and the new Blacktron Invader proves Lego Group is open to design new versions of 80s space sets. This is our best option for a second Classic Space Lego Ideas set. The Galaxy Dropship. It combines all the features of the Galaxy Explorer and Galaxy Commander, plus many others in a single base. The project already has reached more than 5400 support votes and it has a bit less than a year to reach its goal. This project was designed by Giorgio Chronas. Please support it and his other Lego Designs at Lego Ideas. Link: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/bcc52725-df48-4522-aeee-a34dba13889a Please support the return of Classic Space.
-
Affectionately nicknamed "Ol' Bug Eyes" by some and "The Brick Arrow" by others, the Stingray DSE-4 (MK I) is Bengal Shipyards' workhorse Deep Space Explorer. Several have been used to explore the Oort cloud for water and rare earths mining opportunities. Play features Plenty of amenities for its four-person crew. Spacious main cabin with bridge, medical bay, sleeping bays, lab, gym, and shower/toilet. Removable top hull for easy play access to main cabin. Cargo bay with large swing out doors that house and launch jetpacks. Two jetpacks for closeup comet, asteroid, and ice cluster exploration. Air-lock separates shirt sleeves main cabin environment from cargo bay. Main cabin (Child) can separate from cargo bay + engine module (Mother) and function independently for shorter missions requiring more maneuverability. Homages to 10497 I retained the innovative brick built arrow, which now points where the action is (the cargo bay doors and the craft docking line). I transformed the "beds" into jetpacks because I think jetpacks that accommodate the astronaut's life support packs are way cooler than beds. More meta than homage, I embraced the "brick built arrow" theme and made the whole spaceship look like an arrow. Officially calling it "The Brick Arrow," however, would have been a bit much. More images on Flickr and Bricksafe. Free instructions will be up on Rebrickable when the MOC is accepted. For those fond of the artistic process, I kept a build diary.
-
I was 8 years old when I got my first Lego Classic Space set LL918. I remember I spent hours with catalogs looking at LL924 and the Galaxy Explorer LL928. When I got LL928 from my grandma I was thrilled and couldn't let go. I even took it with me on holidays. Galaxy Explorer Dropship by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr A few years later I saw the Galaxy Commander in the store. At the time, due to my father's job, I was living in an a developing country in Africa, where Legos were very rare. I was gazing at the store window, nearly paralyzed and probably with a wide open mouth. I had just past my birthday and for Christmas time I would have to wait a long time. As quickly as I could I ran back home broke that piggy bank into pieces, took everything I had and ran back to the store. I still remember the feelings I had when building this spaceship and looking at every new part as if it were yesterday. Galaxy Commander Dropship_1 by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr Now, decades later, being an AFOL I still love space topics, specially neo classic space models from other Afols. A few years ago I remember seeing Wolf Leews modernized version of LL928 (and 924 and 918) in LegoIdeas and having exactly the same feelings. I tried to push it in LegoIdeas but unfortunately it did not make it to the threshold. Wolf Leews, if you see this post, thanks for sharing the instructions. I have your models in my showcase ever since. The idea of an own classic space model did not let go of me. It took me again years of thinking how to approach this topic. My problem was I wanted everything. I wanted to have a command centre, several spaceships, some robots some cool versatile and functional vehicles, a garage where the vehicles would go for repair, a habitat, a repair bay for the robots. And I wanted the antagonists as well: Blacktrons! And I wanted everybody to build up his own space station. Uff! Galaxy Explorer Commander Dropship I knew this was impossible. Then my Lego Pueblo came to mind. It was a 4in1 set proposal at LegoIdeas that you could buy multiple times and stack to each other building up your own Pueblo village. My Lego Pueblo did not make it to the threshold but if I did such a concept once, maybe I could do it again. Many months of thinking and planning what to do, which bricks to use, color scheme, how to combine classic space with Blacktron, drawing and doing research followed. Then I started building. The target was a 3in1 space creator set with three different scenarios that you could combine forming a big space centre. Each scenario should have its own theme and its own playability concept. At the same time some models of one scenario should connect to models of other scenarios, so at the end you have one big unity. I also needed a story. As I love sci-fi and astronomy this part was the easiest one for me. What came out was space station "Antares", a 3in1 space creator set, where New Classic Space searches for Legonit ressources and Blacktrons trying to steal it from them. One alternate build is the Mining Outpost, the other one is the Bot Repair Bay and one is the Galaxy Dropship. 9 Antares Classic Space3x by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr With the Galaxy Dropship I combined the features of the Galaxy Explorer and the Galaxy Commander and built a mashup that had its own look. Like the Galaxy Commander the dropship can be split into a space fighter and the cargo bay. Like the Commander it may hold a space lab. But it also may hold a space buggy like the Galaxy Explorer. Since the space buggy is from scenario Mining Outpost, I decided it may also hold the truck from its own scenario. Then I continued. The Galaxy Dropship may hold the trailer the fuel or plasma tanks or even a small space fighter which actually is the cockpit of the robot of scenario Bot Repair Bay. The set seems to be huge, too big, but actually it is only big when the set is acquired multiple times. As a single set it has less bricks than the biggest official LegoIdeas set. I hope you like it and support it at LegoIdeas. It is another attempt to bring back some space without StarWars. 5 Antares Galaxy Dropship by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr 6 Galaxy Dropship Hangar by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr Guys I do not want to bore you too much. Please take a look for yourself at LegoIdeas. Check out the three different video animations (search for "Legocionado" at YouTube) and take a look at the pics of the updates at LegoIdeas (I have made some animated gifs explaining the concept). Here are the direct links: To LegoIdeas "Antares": https://ideas.lego.com/projects/447bf8bd-a7e8-4c0d-9918-59c668b23018 2 Antares Classic Space by Giorgio Chronas, auf Flickr To YouTube animated video for the "Galaxy Dropship":
-
Hi all, I was inspired by the mini Galaxy Explorer in the DK Great Lego Sets book but felt it was missing its astronaut - that led me to start exploring Microfighter-style sets for classic space - probably the era, alongside Pirates, for which I have the most affection. I'm certainly not the first to do this, but one thing I did want was to include the playability of these sets, so I tried to incorporate, wherever possible, the modular play functions of the originals. The Solar Power Transporter was particularly tricky (wasn't it called Saturn Ranger in UK catalogues?) and I while I did find a way to clip the wheels under the wings as per the original, it wasn't very aesthetically pleasing. I tried to keep to a 1:2 scale of the originals, and not go quite as chibi as the official Microfighters - but it was largely impressionistic. Anyway - I hope you like them! Edited to add a little fun pic at the end inspired by the heyday of Lego Space box art
-
Hello, This is more of a seeking of ideas rather than a straight up statement. But I'm curious if anyone could provide some more ideas as to why the 497/928 Galaxy Explorer is far more ubiquitous than the 6980 Galaxy Commander? Being the first flagship of course will always make it #1 it seems, but that being put aside, is there anything else that earns it almost all the attention on neo classic space builds, the Lego Movie, etc? It seems with Pirates, there is more of a 45-55 split in terms of the Skull's Eye Schooner vs the Black Seas Barracuda. Of course, a Lugnet rating of 94 for the Galaxy Explorer vs 93 for the Galaxy Commander doesn't show a huge bias, but it just seems that 6980 is missing out sometimes. Any thoughts are appreciated!
-
Hello! I made this series of comedy sketches featuring my Microfighter versions of classic space sets, mainly to amuse, but also to practice some new animation techniques and try and encourage some more support on the Lego Ideas submission which is languishing below 1k. It's a mixture of practical and CGI models, some stop-motion, and in the case of the micro space monorail, pulling it along on a bit of thread! If it raises a giggle, or even just a smirk, I'd be grateful if you could support the project on Lego Ideas, the link is in my footer.
-
Having fun with the Galaxy Squad theme. Lovin' this series of sets (and pieces!) Back at the nest bug neophytes build a new egg with crystals from the planet while more mature bugs patrol the area. Young bug posing with his new viper. "How you doin' ?" (said with thick New York accent) Bug patrol ship The landing mechanism for the bug patrol unit. Lower wings tuck back and the third leg swings down. Surprisingly stable. The angles coming off the bar frame for the wings. I've got an 2L axil going through the back of the bar frame to the plate (with holes) on the front to add some strength. In 1979 Denmark quietly launched the Earth's first deep space exploration ship. Little did they know that their first encounter would be with the bugs Yeah the hood is hard to see over but that's the price you pay when you wanna look good in your viper. Full sized photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/43138245@N07/sets/72157634379329733/
