The Future of Lego Space. (opinions, ideas, discussion)

[Captain Mutant]

3 hours ago, Robert8 said:

Benny was a pretty popular character in TLM. So there could be more classic space characters in the sequel

Looking at the trailer, it looks like we’ll get a couple of ships (including a house-ship) but it may be that most of the new space characters will be mini dolls. 

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

21 hours ago, Robert8 said:

Benny was a pretty popular character in TLM. So there could be more classic space characters in the sequel

Fair enough, and so I hope!

[JoeyB]

I really want LEGO to make a fully fledged theme almost solely with starships. Maybe some sets for a hangar or port, but just spaceships with a myriad of different sizes, uses, and alien races and factions to pilot them. My idea is that- as a gimmick- all the starships have parts like engines, cockpits, cargo holds, weapons, scanners, accessories etc... that can be easily swapped around between the different sets. Something like you start out with a small hobby starship, a civilian use ship that's the equivalent of an SUV or something, and then you can build off of it to make anything you can think of. From simple stuff like a merchant's cargo ship, a government battleship, local police cruiser, or a space pirate's raider; to more unusual stuff like a tourist "bus" with sci-fi ads plastered EVERYWHERE on it, an ecologist's laboratory and capture ship with alien life aboard, a poacher's trophy ship (complete with mounted heads on the walls ), a space monk's sanctum and meditation bay, a mobile alien restaurant (or a food "truck"), the only limit is your own imagination! So, I hope we see something truly special from LEGO in the future, what do you think?  

[Exetrius]

3 hours ago, JoeyB said:

My idea is that- as a gimmick- all the starships have parts like engines, cockpits, cargo holds, weapons, scanners, accessories etc... that can be easily swapped around between the different sets. 

So basically modular starships, right? I wonder if that could be designed so that the modules of the different sets fit together, without compromising on the variety of spacecrafts and the build experience. How do you envision interior spaces connecting to each other and what about obvious connection points on the exteriors when not in use?

But it does sound good!

[Captain Mutant]

It does sound good, but those spaceships would have to go somewhere, so we'd still need a base or two, for refuelling, repairs, and R&R :)

[Digger of Bricks]

On 6/19/2018 at 10:35 AM, bondp99 said:

btw now 815 supporters

Now it's already past a thousand supporters! 

8 hours ago, JoeyB said:

I really want LEGO to make a fully fledged theme almost solely with starships. Maybe some sets for a hangar or port, but just spaceships with a myriad of different sizes, uses, and alien races and factions to pilot them. My idea is that- as a gimmick- all the starships have parts like engines, cockpits, cargo holds, weapons, scanners, accessories etc... that can be easily swapped around between the different sets. Something like you start out with a small hobby starship, a civilian use ship that's the equivalent of an SUV or something, and then you can build off of it to make anything you can think of. From simple stuff like a merchant's cargo ship, a government battleship, local police cruiser, or a space pirate's raider; to more unusual stuff like a tourist "bus" with sci-fi ads plastered EVERYWHERE on it, an ecologist's laboratory and capture ship with alien life aboard, a poacher's trophy ship (complete with mounted heads on the walls ), a space monk's sanctum and meditation bay, a mobile alien restaurant (or a food "truck"), the only limit is your own imagination! So, I hope we see something truly special from LEGO in the future, what do you think?  

Sounds like the intergalactic equivalent of City, which would be most extraordinary to see for a Space theme! If we were to ever see such a multi-subthemed line of sets, I think it should be named LEGO Galaxy. 

[Trekkie99]

8 hours ago, JoeyB said:

I really want LEGO to make a fully fledged theme almost solely with starships. Maybe some sets for a hangar or port, but just spaceships with a myriad of different sizes, uses, and alien races and factions to pilot them. My idea is that- as a gimmick- all the starships have parts like engines, cockpits, cargo holds, weapons, scanners, accessories etc... that can be easily swapped around between the different sets. Something like you start out with a small hobby starship, a civilian use ship that's the equivalent of an SUV or something, and then you can build off of it to make anything you can think of. From simple stuff like a merchant's cargo ship, a government battleship, local police cruiser, or a space pirate's raider; to more unusual stuff like a tourist "bus" with sci-fi ads plastered EVERYWHERE on it, an ecologist's laboratory and capture ship with alien life aboard, a poacher's trophy ship (complete with mounted heads on the walls ), a space monk's sanctum and meditation bay, a mobile alien restaurant (or a food "truck"), the only limit is your own imagination! So, I hope we see something truly special from LEGO in the future, what do you think?  

Modular spaceships would be so lit! And if not under a theme of its own, why not at least as something like a $100 Creator set?

[icm]

59 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Now it's already past a thousand supporters! 

Sounds like the intergalactic equivalent of City, which would be most extraordinary to see for a Space theme! If we were to ever see such a multi-subthemed line of sets, I think it should be named LEGO Galaxy. 

You mean like this and this? :)  A theme called Galaxy that was designed for maximum rebuild value is what primed me to like Classic Space before I knew Classic Space existed.

[Captain Mutant]

34 minutes ago, icm said:

 A theme called Galaxy that was designed for maximum rebuild value is what primed me to like Classic Space before I knew Classic Space existed.

You mean something like ... Planetary Outpost? ?

[icm]

Already supported.

[JoeyB]

20 hours ago, Exetrius said:

So basically modular starships, right? I wonder if that could be designed so that the modules of the different sets fit together, without compromising on the variety of spacecrafts and the build experience. How do you envision interior spaces connecting to each other and what about obvious connection points on the exteriors when not in use?

But it does sound good!

I imagine there'd be different "classes" of ships, from "Hobby", "Intermediate", "Explorer", "Freighter", and a number of specialty models (Battleships, Racers, etc.) that would make it good for subthemes and variants. And, of course, we could always MOC our own sub-assemblies or ship bodies.

20 hours ago, Captain Mutant said:

It does sound good, but those spaceships would have to go somewhere, so we'd still need a base or two, for refuelling, repairs, and R&R :)

Well... I did say "almost soley" didn't I ; )

15 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Now it's already past a thousand supporters! 

Sounds like the intergalactic equivalent of City, which would be most extraordinary to see for a Space theme! If we were to ever see such a multi-subthemed line of sets, I think it should be named LEGO Galaxy. 

Cool name! I suppose it would be that, maybe a little less civilian and with more bad guys... but I think it would be cool for some of the subthemes to all be derivatives of other space themes. Say, a cops-&-robbers line with the Space Police (each SP year being a separate department to get all the different color schemes, like Forest Police vs. Mountain Police vs. Swamp Po-Po etc.), an exploration themed one with all manner of Classic Space aesthetics, a Space Pirate one with the Blacktron faction, Arctic theme with Ice Planet, a space "military" with stuff for the Galaxy Squad, an urban civilian setting with Futron an in-the-neighborhood theme with the Life on Mars Martians, every theme you can think of could make a comeback.  Not that I want it to just be retreads, I'd love a line with ecologists going out to a world like Pandora, or Felucia, or Darwin IV going to safely capture and study the lifeforms. But... bringing some nostalgia to older fans can't hurt : )

16 hours ago, LegoMonorailFan said:

Modular spaceships would be so lit! And if not under a theme of its own, why not at least as something like a $100 Creator set?

Sounds cool!  Creator keeps passing me by, that would probably do the trick!

[Digger of Bricks]

22 hours ago, LegoMonorailFan said:

And if not under a theme of its own, why not at least as something like a $100 Creator set?

Certainly, but, they don't always need to be $100+ sets. 

21 hours ago, icm said:

You mean like this and this? :)  A theme called Galaxy that was designed for maximum rebuild value is what primed me to like Classic Space before I knew Classic Space existed.

Huh, a Mega Bloks wiki eh? I've never seen that site before, and I was sort of excited that you linked it as I thought they'd have a database of articles on parts Mega Bloks has that Lego doesn't have an equivalent for. Well, not only did they have no such thing, the site looks like it hasn't been updated since sometime in 2014. 

6 hours ago, JoeyB said:

Cool name! I suppose it would be that, maybe a little less civilian and with more bad guys... but I think it would be cool for some of the subthemes to all be derivatives of other space themes. Say, a cops-&-robbers line with the Space Police (each SP year being a separate department to get all the different color schemes, like Forest Police vs. Mountain Police vs. Swamp Po-Po etc.), an exploration themed one with all manner of Classic Space aesthetics, a Space Pirate one with the Blacktron faction, Arctic theme with Ice Planet, a space "military" with stuff for the Galaxy Squad, an urban civilian setting with Futron an in-the-neighborhood theme with the Life on Mars Martians, every theme you can think of could make a comeback.  Not that I want it to just be retreads, I'd love a line with ecologists going out to a world like Pandora, or Felucia, or Darwin IV going to safely capture and study the lifeforms. But... bringing some nostalgia to older fans can't hurt : )

Starting out, if Lego were to attempt such a theme, I'd guess they'd probably have to launch off with only one subtheme and expanding from there depending upon its level of success, with each subtheme's name subtitled under the broader theme's name. For instance, citing recent past Space lines, as subthemes they'd likely be named as LEGO Galaxy: Space Police, LEGO Galaxy: Mars Mission, LEGO Galaxy: Alien Conquest... 

[x105Black]

I'd love to see a theme that took influence from Voltron or other similar concepts.  What I'm hoping for is a theme with roughly 5 Space vehicle builds that can then connect together to form one gigantic mech build.  That would be a Space theme I'd invest in.

[Digger of Bricks]

8 hours ago, x105Black said:

I'd love to see a theme that took influence from Voltron or other similar concepts.  What I'm hoping for is a theme with roughly 5 Space vehicle builds that can then connect together to form one gigantic mech build.  That would be a Space theme I'd invest in.

Well, could the combiner robot trope be utilized by Lego anyway? That's what I was inquiring about over on @Peppermint_M's discussion topic recently, as I was wondering whether it could do so without seeming like it was being ripped off from other certain franchises. 

 

[Captain Mutant]

9 hours ago, x105Black said:

What I'm hoping for is a theme with roughly 5 Space vehicle builds that can then connect together to form one gigantic mech build.  That would be a Space theme I'd invest in.

Well... my MOC ticks most of your boxes - it's a space theme (check), it's modular, ie you can connect multiple copies together (check) and you can rebuild the innards in 5 different ways (check)... but it's not a mech... Still, 3 out of 4 ain't bad, right? ;)

[Exetrius]

9 hours ago, Captain Mutant said:

Well... my MOC ticks most of your boxes - it's a space theme (check), it's modular, ie you can connect multiple copies together (check) and you can rebuild the innards in 5 different ways (check)... but it's not a mech... Still, 3 out of 4 ain't bad, right? ;)

Hey man, come on. I get it, you'd like to see your support count grow. Same here. But don't keep throwing the same thing at the same people over and over again. Most of us have either already supported or have decided not to, and that's that. Maybe you can pour some energy in a secondary project, or something.. Just my my cents.

[Captain Mutant]

8 minutes ago, Exetrius said:

Hey man, come on. I get it, you'd like to see your support count grow. Same here. But don't keep throwing the same thing at the same people over and over again. Most of us have either already supported or have decided not to, and that's that. Maybe you can pour some energy in a secondary project, or something.. Just my my cents.

you obviously missed the " ;) "

As if a base would be similar to what the other poster wanted, ie a mech.

Sorry I pissed you off. 'twas not the intent.

[x105Black]

14 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, could the combiner robot trope be utilized by Lego anyway? That's what I was inquiring about over on @Peppermint_M's discussion topic recently, as I was wondering whether it could do so without seeming like it was being ripped off from other certain franchises. 

I do think it could be used, and used well.  Yes, it may feel derivative, but so much does these days, and if they kept to a distinctly LEGO Space theme then it could work well on its own.

[Digger of Bricks]

4 minutes ago, x105Black said:

I do think it could be used, and used well.  Yes, it may feel derivative, but so much does these days, and if they kept to a distinctly LEGO Space theme then it could work well on its own.

I guess, come to think of it, that the modular spaceship model used by so many of Lego's previous Space themes was that trope, but in reverse, kind of. 

[Aanchir]

On 7/4/2018 at 10:55 PM, x105Black said:

I'd love to see a theme that took influence from Voltron or other similar concepts.  What I'm hoping for is a theme with roughly 5 Space vehicle builds that can then connect together to form one gigantic mech build.  That would be a Space theme I'd invest in.

I wonder if perhaps the reason LEGO hasn't done something like that yet is the limits on articulation for a model that big. The Voltron set is able to get away with such limited articulation in its legs because it's aimed at teen/adult builders for whom play value is not as big a deal as it would be for kids. But a typical play theme would probably have to meet higher expectations for playability. Not to mention, the Voltron set isn't even minifig scale — it doesn't have to worry about how, say, having an empty space for a cockpit in each individual segment will affect the combined model's structural stability.

That said, I'm with you that something like that would be really rad to see. And LEGO has managed some fairly substantial "combining vehicles" as sets, like Ultra Stealth Raider, which at a $100 price point includes three oversized bikes and a jet that combine into a tank. Doing something like that with spaceships would be no trouble at all — having the combined form be a "super robot" is the only considerable technical hurdle that still needs to be overcome.

[Exetrius]

3 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I wonder if perhaps the reason LEGO hasn't done something like that yet is the limits on articulation for a model that big.

I've built three (MOC) mechs now and what I can say is that the effect of weight is not to be underestimated. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Trying to make sure everything remains attached when it falls over is challenging. Aditionally, as the weight increases, joints will approach a point where they are no longer able to hold their pose. On top of that, the price that you pay for, say, a little bit of extra space in the cockpit (i.e. 4x4 to 6x6 studs) is really high, because increasing the size of one body part results in having to increase all body proportions. So weight and complexity grow exponentially.

[Digger of Bricks]

For those interested, @Gbailey46 has submitted another pretty sweet looking CS themed project over on LEGO Ideas that you guys may want to check out:

LEGO Ideas - LEGO Galactic Exploration Rover Vehicle

[Artanis I]

Very cool. Even if it looks a bit like the Alien Conquest set

[Exetrius]

@Digger of Bricks have you found mine yet? My new one, that is! 

[Space Police XVIII]

19 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

LEGO Ideas - LEGO Galactic Exploration Rover Vehicle

 

For a moment there I thought we'd got new windows in trans-yellow, and was all excited.