10497 Galaxy Explorer 90th anniversary set

[lowlead]

41 minutes ago, dtomsen said:

First one: Simply hate the messy wing-design.

Second one: Not realistic as a commercial set and impractical sized too as a display model for most.

Third one: Actually like the design but still prefer the less greebly LEGO remake 

Fouth one: Too different and not really a Galaxy Explorer but just a neo-classic spaceship in my opinion.

1st:  Not bad, but I'm not liking the cluttered wing detail, and the wing-to-cabin ratio is off...the cockpit/cabin seems too narrow with respect to the wing.

2nd:  Impressive, I guess...but screams overkill.

3rd:  Overall I like this one as well, but the greebling is a bit too much, and I don't like the front canopy solution.

4th:  Nope.  Chunky, bulbous, too rounded.  This one doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. 

Also @icm all great points.  The 10497 nails this perfect balance, in my opinion.  Not quite perfection, but damn close.

[danth]

@Merlo, I think it's fine if you like other MOCs better, for whatever reason; maybe they're greeblier, or bigger, or some other specific reason. But I don't think it makes sense to declare 10947 as flat out less imaginative, or more boring than the MOCs you gave as examples.

I've never seen a MOC with straight, studless wing edges fitted at angles to studded wings quite the way 10947 has done it. That is new and imaginative IMO and looks very cool.

Also the vertically tilted fuselage is a super cool trick that allows a subtle incline that you're never going to get with other canopies alone, and it allows use of a printed tile at the front which is more reusable IMO than a printed slope.

Then there's the brick built arrows, the brick built triple thrusters, the cockpit that fits all 4 space men, the alt builds...plenty of imagination and flair!

Also, this set is going to be rock solid, unlike the MOCs you posted that probably fall apart and have pieces knocked off or out of alignment at the lightest touch (like the tail/spoiler on Peter Reid's MOC).

Merlo, please, please do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to like this set. It's phenomenal. No, it's not a MOC with tons of greebles and illegal connections that falls apart when you look at it wrong, but it's amazing for what it is: an affordable, nostalgic, official, masterfully designed update to 497.

Edited June 22, 2022 by danth

[danth]

8 hours ago, astral brick said:

A Galaxy Commander remake? Or some other flagship model from Blacktron, Space Police etc? The possibilities are endless.

I'll take it!

I think I meant just the blue/grey/trans yellow period of Classic Space. Definitely didn't mean I don't want any future Blacktron or Space Police sets; I don't consider those Classic Space.

A Galaxy Commander set would be great -- it's a white & blue set, and I specifically mentioned that I'd prefer to see something like that now instead of more blue/grey/trans yellow.

8 hours ago, astral brick said:

Resistance is futile :-)

If we get another blue/grey/trans yellow set soon, I hope it's Creator 3-in-1 like I said before. I want wheels, I want new canopies/windscreens, and I want alt builds. Just another spaceship is going to be boring, unless it's in a different Space color scheme.

8 hours ago, astral brick said:

Or the 80s or the 90s... please see previous point.

I want throwbacks to all the old Space themes, from '78 to '99. That's 20 years of goodness, versus just 2 years in the 70's. But I also want new Space themes!

Edited June 22, 2022 by danth

[icm]

16 minutes ago, danth said:

Then there's the brick built arrows, the brick built triple thrusters

Also, this set is going to be rock solid, unlike the MOCs you posted that probably fall apart and have pieces knocked off or out of alignment at the lightest touch (like the tail/spoiler on Peter Reid's MOC).

I knew I was forgetting something in the list I typed out a few posts ago ....

[Lord Insanity]

23 hours ago, icm said:

Funny you should mention a Cosmic Fleet Voyager, I just built one of those a few months ago. On a scale of 1 to 10, how closely does this resemble what you’d like to see in a hypothetical update? (Probably pretty low, it’s very simple studs up construction. I’m no Mike Psiaki.)

More pictures on Flickr, you should be able to just click on the picture and go there.

That is a cool looking ship and I would absolutely buy it if were adapted into a set.  That could be done very easily unlike most modern MOCs with their ridiculously over the top and highly fragile detailing.  I value stability in a build.  If I can't fly it around without parts falling off, it fails.  ( I will go one step further and say if a small craft or fighter can't be dropped onto a carpeted surface from waist high and stay together, it fails.  Yes seriously, I test my fighters that way.  Pictures often fail to convey the rock solid stability of a "boring" MOC.)

All that said, I don't really see a 6985 Cosmic Fleet Voyager tribute in that ship.  The color blocking is all wrong, the shaping is wrong, and it doesn't have several side windows.  One of the best things about 6985 is the massive internal space it has.  You can easily fit over 20 figures inside that thing.  I do think your ship managed to have lots of internal space relative to its size so it gets a win there.

Really though, can any Space fan honestly tell me they wouldn't want to see 6985 given a similar faithful modern upgrade at the quality level of 10497 Galaxy Explorer?

[icm]

Yeah, my Cosmic Fleet Voyager is a very free interpretation of the original set, unlike my Galaxy Explorer. The Cosmic Fleet Voyager is a lot harder to reproduce faithfully with modern parts in an interesting and satisfying way because it has a more complex shape and it splits in the middle. Mine was just built freehand with parts I already had, so it’s really more of a “spaceship inspired by the Cosmic Fleet Voyager” than a faithful remake.

When I was a kid browsing Brickset I thought the 6985 was super ugly, but my opinion has changed! I’d be totally down for a good 6985 update. There aren’t a lot of MOCs on the web to compare one too though, unlike the dozens of Galaxy Explorers.

Edited June 23, 2022 by icm

[Merlo]

17 hours ago, icm said:

So, that's all I can think of off the top of my head that makes the 10497 special, fresh, fun, new, innovative, compared to every other Galaxy Explorer I've ever seen, entirely apart from the "omg it's an official set" aspect.  I think it's a pretty long list.  I can't wait until my two pre-ordered copies ship!

Well, I'm glad someone is enjoying it!
You got a bit too technical for me in places, I would need comparison photos just to know what you're saying.

Also, it just hit me what I find to be the biggest offense of the Lego ship, compared to the original and literally any of the MOC's I posted (and many others you can google).
All of them have parts that are covered, semi-covered or suggest something else is there.
And even though you know there isn't actually a huge interior in there, that makes it easy to roleplay like the ship is what the name would suggest - a big spaceship with interior space that consists of whatever you imagine.
Lego's explorer looks like a simple fighter jet, with enlarged cockpit space since the ship:figure size ratio is much bigger than in real fighter jets, of course.
This in turn makes it feel like it's much bigger than it needs to be to represent what it is. And while the size might come in handy to add additional detail, the central part of the ship is mostly flat and plain and only the wings bring in some diversity through the combination of studs and tiles.
 

6 hours ago, icm said:

When I was a kid browsing Brickset I thought the 6985 was super ugly, but my opinion has changed! I’d be totally down for a good 6985 update. There aren’t a lot of MOCs on the web to compare one too though, unlike the dozens of Galaxy Explorers.

My opinion hasn't changed. I didn't think 6985 was particularly good looking back then and it especially isn't compared to 10497, which is very sleek and elegant.
And yet... 6985 is strange and weird and wonderful and just one look at it takes me away to a world I didn't know existed. It's imagination unleashed, pure and simple.
I wanna take that monstrosity and glide it through the air making pretend engine sounds (in space?), stare at all the weird and different angles, shapes and accessories it has and try to see all the places where I can put and pose a minifigure.
The only thing I want to do with 10497 is put it on the shelf as a decoration.

 

[Merlo]

14 hours ago, danth said:

@Merlo, I think it's fine if you like other MOCs better, for whatever reason; maybe they're greeblier, or bigger, or some other specific reason. But I don't think it makes sense to declare 10947 as flat out less imaginative, or more boring than the MOCs you gave as examples.

What you mentioned in your examples is execution. And I think Lego's designers are certainly top notch and can make the details look great and utilize advanced techniques and everything. What I'm bothered with is mainly how simplified the ideas are compared to 40 years ago. It feels like we're going backwards. So, no, I don't feel particularly like some MOC out there could take the idea of this specific GE Lego made and make it much better than theirs (or even better at all!) but the idea itself is so simple even Lego can't make it interesting. They can only make it pretty.

[icm]

All right, well, there’s no accounting for taste, etc. Have fun building your own Cosmic Fleet Voyager MOC for the 90th anniversary, I’d love to see pictures of that as your hypothetical ideal anniversary spaceship.

[GeoBrick]

2 hours ago, Merlo said:

What you mentioned in your examples is execution. And I think Lego's designers are certainly top notch and can make the details look great and utilize advanced techniques and everything. What I'm bothered with is mainly how simplified the ideas are compared to 40 years ago. It feels like we're going backwards. So, no, I don't feel particularly like some MOC out there could take the idea of this specific GE Lego made and make it much better than theirs (or even better at all!) but the idea itself is so simple even Lego can't make it interesting. They can only make it pretty.

40 years ago, all was new in LEGO terms. Anything that came out was novel. Nowadays, there's a history of 40 years of sets and the work of countless designers what the current crop of them have to keep in mind.
Last year the choice was made to come up with reiterations of these old sets instead of something entirely different to celebrate the 90 years of the LEGO Group. 
 

[lowlead]

11 hours ago, icm said:

...When I was a kid browsing Brickset I thought the 6985 was super ugly, but my opinion has changed!....

Mine hasn't.  Yikes, that thing has a face only a mother could love.  FUGLY.

[Merlo]

1 hour ago, GeoBrick said:

40 years ago, all was new in LEGO terms. Anything that came out was novel. Nowadays, there's a history of 40 years of sets and the work of countless designers what the current crop of them have to keep in mind.
Last year the choice was made to come up with reiterations of these old sets instead of something entirely different to celebrate the 90 years of the LEGO Group. 
 

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say?

[danth]

6 hours ago, Merlo said:

What you mentioned in your examples is execution. And I think Lego's designers are certainly top notch and can make the details look great and utilize advanced techniques and everything. What I'm bothered with is mainly how simplified the ideas are compared to 40 years ago. It feels like we're going backwards. So, no, I don't feel particularly like some MOC out there could take the idea of this specific GE Lego made and make it much better than theirs (or even better at all!) but the idea itself is so simple even Lego can't make it interesting. They can only make it pretty.

Sounds like maybe you didn't want a bigger, sleeker, prettier version of the Galaxy Explorer, but something more like Benny's Spaceship, which is clearly Classic Space (and even has the LL9XX numbering), but has its own unique design & play features.

[GeoBrick]

2 hours ago, Merlo said:

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say?

Merely that, if a set is deliberarely based on an older legacy set, there's not much room for innovation.

[Merlo]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Sounds like maybe you didn't want a bigger, sleeker, prettier version of the Galaxy Explorer, but something more like Benny's Spaceship, which is clearly Classic Space (and even has the LL9XX numbering), but has its own unique design & play features.

BS was pretty cool for what it was, just a little bit too flashy for my taste. I don't have that "issue" with the new GE.

1 hour ago, GeoBrick said:

Merely that, if a set is deliberarely based on an older legacy set, there's not much room for innovation.

Honestly, I'd been happy if the set just matched what the original GE had and didn't contribute anything.
And that would be:
-that it looks spaceship-y
-that it looks weird in a good way
(both of these are mostly courtesy of that bulky and weird looking blue "fuselage" part)
-that it looks a bit retro
(completely optional, just for extra points)

Instead we got some sort of fighter plane in CS colors that wouldn't be out of place fighting an X-wing.
I mean, it's a cool one at that, it's just not something that interests me that much
 

 

[icm]

10497:

• looks spaceshippy
• looks weird in a good way
  • courtesy of its bulky and weird blue fuselage
• looks a bit retro
• is not a fighter plane that would fight an X-wing
  • do fighter planes have four seats, two beds, and a rover garage?

So do you want innovation in a new Galaxy Explorer, or don't you? I'm confused.

Seems to me you wouldn't be satisfied with any new Galaxy Explorer. 

Enjoy your spiffy new Monkie Kid's Galactic Explorer!

(But that's not AFOLy enough for you, so you're not interested.)

Got it.  Enjoy that 90th anniversary Cosmic Fleet Voyager!

[JamesBenjamin]

2 hours ago, Merlo said:

Instead we got some sort of fighter plane in CS colors that wouldn't be out of place fighting an X-wing.
I mean, it's a cool one at that, it's just not something that interests me that much
 

 

Umm, everyone's entitled to their own opinion of course, but this new set has the same shape as the old one, so its just as "fighter plane" looking as the old one.

 

Also there are ton of details that are just bigger versions of old lego parts, like the brickbuilt version of this on the back:

 

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3963#T=C

 

 

[TeriXeri]

I love the throwback to LEGO colors in the interior , and even some very useful parts for alternate builds beyond the 924/918 inspired builds. (click to zoom)

Those tiles will be VERY useful as well.

Edited June 23, 2022 by TeriXeri

[danth]

I wish the tile with the vent lines was two separate tiles.

Also, is this a hint?

That's a black air tank right?

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by danth

[TeriXeri]

Black air tank for sure (also in set 31130 alongside a Darkgrey Space helm)

The Black Space helmet was in a 2020 set, and Blue helmet in another 2020 set.

The pose of that picture seems very hint like though.

The original did have a grey airtank which never was made in new grey (beside a pearl darkgrey airtank was in 5 Ninjago movie sets in 2017)

 

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by TeriXeri

[danth]

25 minutes ago, TeriXeri said:

The pose of that picture seems very hint like though.

The inclusion of the droid from 6809 makes me wonder if we're going to get a GWP or something with the rest of that set (the XT-5 with the blue Space man).

The black air tank makes me think the GWP might include a vehicle with a black space man too, like a 6882 remake...or even a Blacktron remake!

[Merlo]

12 hours ago, JamesBenjamin said:

Umm, everyone's entitled to their own opinion of course, but this new set has the same shape as the old one, so its just as "fighter plane" looking as the old one. 

The original ship had a big, tall, bulky, covered and semi-covered, "2 story" fuselage that went well with the name "Galaxy Explorer". This is what made the illusion of the ship.
The new one just threw that out and put in a luxurious open space for the figures. That ship doesn't look like it's going to explore anything other than in how many pieces your ship will be after a dogfight :)
The huge engines on the old ship also were selling the illusion of "this is a big ship, it needs powerful engines to carry all the stuff that we're play-imagining is in the interior".
The huge engines of the new ship give it a dragster look, like a small fighter ship, but super-sized for greater detail, without much of the said detail present (wings are cool tho).

[danth]

6 hours ago, Merlo said:

The original ship had a big, tall, bulky, covered and semi-covered, "2 story" fuselage that went well with the name "Galaxy Explorer". This is what made the illusion of the ship.
The new one just threw that out and put in a luxurious open space for the figures. That ship doesn't look like it's going to explore anything other than in how many pieces your ship will be after a dogfight :)
The huge engines on the old ship also were selling the illusion of "this is a big ship, it needs powerful engines to carry all the stuff that we're play-imagining is in the interior".
The huge engines of the new ship give it a dragster look, like a small fighter ship, but super-sized for greater detail, without much of the said detail present (wings are cool tho).

If it makes you feel better, the new one actually has all that interior space that you could only imagine in the old one, complete with sleeping quarters, multiple consoles, air lock, seats for 4 minifigs up front and more in the back, and still has the storage compartment for the rover. And the new one is also "2 story", it just achieves it's second story in a sleeker way with a different canopy. Seems like a total win all around, unless you really need your spaceships to be clunky. But I think most people think sleeker ships are sexier, so you might be in a small minority.

EDIT: It feels so weird to actually be defending Lego for once.

Edited June 24, 2022 by danth

[icm]

6 hours ago, Merlo said:

The original ship had a big, tall, bulky, covered and semi-covered, "2 story" fuselage that went well with the name "Galaxy Explorer". This is what made the illusion of the ship.
The new one just threw that out and put in a luxurious open space for the figures. That ship doesn't look like it's going to explore anything other than in how many pieces your ship will be after a dogfight :)
The huge engines on the old ship also were selling the illusion of "this is a big ship, it needs powerful engines to carry all the stuff that we're play-imagining is in the interior".
The huge engines of the new ship give it a dragster look, like a small fighter ship, but super-sized for greater detail, without much of the said detail present (wings are cool tho).

I just can't understand the logic of this post.  It's like you're saying the original ship suggested all these extra details for you to imagine, and the new ship has those details, but then, no, wait, those details aren't actually present on the new ship.  My head is spinning.

[technicfanatic]

I'm nearing 50, and it feels ... forbidden ... to have pre-ordered this $100 toy and be waiting so anxiously for it to ship. Like many people here, the closest I got to the original Galaxy Explorer was by staring holes into the LEGO catalog. Sometimes,  good things do come to those who wait.

Also, I do have to say, LEGO seems to have gotten cheaper!

The original was 338 pieces, and priced at $32. In today's dollars that is $128 = 37.9c/part

The new one is 1254 pieces, and priced at $100 = 7.97c/part.

That is mind boggling. My parents were right. It was a tad expensive (and hard to get, of course, where I lived)

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by technicfanatic