danth

If heaven isn't a pizza parlor with an arcade, I don't wanna go there. Nice build!

Yeah, a tile version would be awesome. And an anti-tile (smooth on the bottom, studs on top, whatever that's called).

I really don't like the new claw though. Too big, not enough tension without a rubber band, and has the big axle sticking out of both pieces.

If we're talking about newer pieces that we like for opening up new building possibilities, then mine is this: That's two axes of rotation on a single modified 1x1 plate! Doesn't get much more useful than that. I wish the had a rounded clip now. Another one that has built-in rotation: A bunch of possibilities with the above, like a completely round wall, or brick-built tank treads. Runners up that I'm pretty sure are going to be super useful: As a kid I think my favorite pieces were the bendy-arm pieces with claw, as shown on the back of 6822. Any set with those arm pieces was automatically on my must have list. In the 90's the arm parts even came in transparent colors which was super cool. Now the arm pieces have been replaced with click hinge arms. But I don't think there's a good replacement for the claw.

Great topic. There are so many great parts! For me, this is the most nostalgic part: It was only in a few Space sets and it was just so amazing to me as a kid seeing that piece in transparent red. It was basically a space laser shield! In 1984, this was mind blowing for my 6-year-old brain. I also remember the pic below from an old Idea Book I saw as a kid. It must have cemented how cool this shield was.

Ah, cool. Well, the splitting gimmick is cool enough. Making something actually reconfigure with LEGO is pretty darn hard. I've tried, and usually give up!

Very cool! I like how the ship uses the minifig color scheme. I'm trying to figure out where the second wing comes from when the ship splits into two.

Let's just say I'm used to replies that don't even offer an opinion, but just bash the opinions and desires of others. Where they don't even tell you what they like or don't like. They just explain to you that you have no right to like what you like, and that LEGO should never make any products you like, and that everything LEGO does is perfect anyway, and you should be happy just making MOCS instead of complaining about them not making sets you actually want. An actual opinion on why SW is better than Classic Space is refreshing, after what I've experienced. Yep, I agree with that general sentiment.

Nice! An actual opposing opinion, instead of another lame attempt to invalidate others'. I don't know if what you said extends past Classic Space or not. Futuron introduced a few new canopy/cockpit designs, but maybe you're not counting that. Yeah, Classic Space reused that one hinged canopy a lot. I think 1985 is the main offender when it comes to using the same cockpit design. '86 uses the same canopy but different cockpit builds/nose shapes. But more generally you're right, the Classic Space ships were pretty similar in overall design. Wedge shaped more-or-less with canopy in the front, wings on the sides, and engines in the back. I would argue that SW has a it's own problems with repetition. Whether it's literally the same spaceship released every few years, or derivative designs that are too timid out of fear of not looking "Star Wars-y", I can't see how people aren't tired of it. However I generally prefer the aesthetic of Lego Space. I like swoopy, angular/wedge shaped space ships. I like vivid, high contrast color blocking, and especially colored windscreens. I vastly prefer this to the drab, gray SW universe. I'm also not a big fan of the new designs like the Mandalorian ship, which looks like a gray brick with two cylinders attached. But that's all subjective. It's fine if we all like different things. Your criticisms of Lego Space are valid. But I don't think anyone here is arguing for a return of repetitive design. Also, I don't think that's been in issue since Futuron. I would say in the most recent Space themes especially, the space ship design was diverse and creative. Nah, I like it. :) Instead of trying to defend the status quo, or invalidate opposing opinions, he just straight up says why he doesn't like Lego Space and prefers Star Wars. This is the way to disagree.

Oh I'm sure there is high demand for Mario himself, and other main characters. But he's only in one set. It's all the accessory and big location sets that are warming the shelves. Like, who's going to buy any of that stuff if they can't get Mario? Or can't afford the big set he's in?

I mean, I could have predicted this before seeing the store shelves had I known that most sets wouldn't even have Mario or another main character in them. I mean, they literally show a "ghost" Mario on the box! Like, "Yeah, we know Mario should be in this set, but he's not, so here's what it should look like. Deal with it!" I don't want the theme to fail, I just refuse to give a pass to the abject lunacy of trying to sell a character based property without the characters. Can you imagine if Lego tried to sell Marvel sets, but without the minifigures? Instead just a "ghost" picture of the intended minifigs on the box? And then you can't even find the minifigs in stores?

This theme seems to be an absolute disaster. The sets are warming the shelves in all the stores around me. Nobody wants them. Except for the ones that actually have the figures, which are nowhere to be found. This, of course, should surprise nobody. I wouldn't want to be the exec responsible for this. I'm sure this was a giant money loser. Like, how do you sell themed sets without the main characters that everyone loves? It's mindbogglingly stupid.

Ugh, I heard 10 more earlier. Only 5? Hmmm. Well a few $20 Creator sets had a minifig. And a few $30 Creator sets had 2. I guess it's still possible.

I wonder how disappointing the space mech will be. On a scale of 31007 Power Mech retread to an explicitly Space-themed, piloted mining-mech.

Same regarding 1, 2 and prequel. 2 was perfect, and I loved the DLC! Prequel felt like more of the same, but starting over with the added stress of worrying about oxygen. Playing 3 now, and really prefer 2 in almost every regard. I play with my wife, and you can no longer do split-screen vertically, only horizontally, and split screen is suuuuper laggy. You also can't switch weapons directly anymore with the D-pad. It's still fun, but not as fun as 2. EDIT: Duh, your title is a reference to Borderlands. Just caught that!

I was actually going to disagree, using the same picture as an example! I mean, I see where you guys are coming from. This set is primitive by today's standards, sure. But in so many ways, this set has things that were just simply not even close to "near-future realism". For one, we've never been close to having "space ships", i.e., ships that can fly around on the moon, and land vertically on the moon. Even the most recent City Space sets have nothing like that, 40 years later. Also, moon bases with paved, lighted landing pads? That's nothing we've ever been close to, especially in 1978. And again, even 2019 City Space has nothing like that. Refueling and launching rockets from computerized moon bases? Hovercraft? No way was that near-future realism. I mean, if Classic Space was supposed to be near-future realism, where is the earth-based shuttle launch facility? Every realistic, or near-realistic Space theme has had one. It's always the flagship set. But it's missing completely from Classic Space. So I have to disagree. Classic Space was "primitive" in the sense that set design and parts were more limited in 1978, but it didn't evoke "primitive" space travel. They had freaking space ships and moon bases. That's far future stuff, closer to Star Wars than City Space.

Is that Fabuland, or Fabulands? (Borderlands, Fabulands, get it?)

Uh oh. Maybe I should have asked this too. But I want to believe...

I can't really argue with this. Which is why I push the idea of CLASSIC. THEMED. CREATOR. SETS. If there's one big Space set a year, with the parts to build a ship, base, and rover, and a few printed parts, it would probably satisfy demand. And provide the parts so that fans could build out their own "theme" of sets. Still though. Nobody wanted Ninjago or Nexo Knights until Lego made them, made cartoons for them, and put them on TV. I think Lego could do that for a new Space theme, but there's no point when they have Star Wars. It would be self competition, and Lego would get an epic smack down from Disney like nobody would believe. I don't think you're wrong. I've seen amazing Space MOCs on Ideas get almost no support, much to my dismay. Although I think a lot of people there support what they think should be popular, not what they actually want. This is why half or more of the sets that reach 10k are essentially the same as the last few IDEAS sets. Like, all the ramshackle buildings after the Fishing Store, all the 80's cars after the Ecto-1, all the TV sets after the Central Perk. It's kinda ridiculous. I will say that I don't believe any stories about what themes sold poorly. We don't really know how Galaxy Squad fared compared to expectations, and what we do hear is all based on anecdote. Yet I can't count how many times I've seen Star Wars or Marvel sets warming the shelves and marked down. And nobody ever claims that they don't sell. At least we can take comfort that Benny's Space Squad sold out everywhere. I can only speak for myself, but I bought multiple copies of the Exo Suit and Benny's SSS. But if you got them when they came out, it wasn't a braggable purchase. Anyone could get them. It's the vintage sets that get the facebook likes and inspire envy.

I know right? Lego Worlds also had a Space expansion and I bought the game for that alone. And now this game also gets glorious Space stuff. So somebody knows Space is awesome and well loved, just not those making sets. :(

As usual, it's the people trying to deny the problem who get the most outraged, so much so that they have to exit the conversation. Maybe you feel too entitled to having your opinions go unchallenged? This whole thread seems pretty civil to me, no outrage, just maybe some sarcasm when deserved. But yeah, god forbid that people in the Sci-Fi Forum want more Sci-Fi sets.

No, no, if something comes up all the time, and everyone is complaining about it, it proves that everything is actually perfect!

You realize you're in the Sci-Fi forum right? Most of those are literally in the City theme. They're clearly not Sci-Fi, but NASA-inspired. Heck, the rover set is even set on Earth. It should have been named Rover Test Drive. Nobody in here is arguing that we don't have enough NASA sets.

Personally I don't require any specific color schemes, but I will say that, every Lego Space theme that was ever made, other than Galaxy Squad and Alien Invasion (which is arguably not even a Space theme), had colored windscreens. Colored windscreens were, for most of Lego history, the first thing you saw in a Lego set that signified you weren't looking at some conventional earth vehicle, but instead something out of this world. They're what made a space base a space base and not an airport. They made a space rover a space rover and not an earth truck. Obviously you don't need colored windscreens to achieve this but it sure helps and it always looks way cooler. I mean, it's why Nexo Knights used only colored windscreens.

I agree we've been pretty lucky to get some trans yellow windscreens from Bat Man sets and other colored pieces generally. It's nice for MOCers. But "lucky" is relative. I mean, I feel lucky to get anything at all, mainly because of the desperate lack of non-licensed Space sets. If we should feel lucky to just to get a few usable pieces every year, does this apply to Star Wars fans? Should Lego JUST produce parts packs, and then the SW people can just do MOCs, and not get to complain? You have to admit, sometimes it just feels good to buy a set that you like, and build it from the instructions. And not have to scrounge up pieces from various themes and do a bunch of Bricklink orders.