2025 Space sets

[Lion King]

11 minutes ago, Operacion Saturno said:

We want new Classic Space designs, new stuff, not just remakes.

What is a difference between new designs and remakes, exactly? 

[Operacion Saturno]

9 minutes ago, Lion King said:

What is a difference between new designs and remakes, exactly? 

Remakes are new versions of old Classic Space sets like the 10487 which is a remake of the Galaxy Explorer from 1979.

These are a new designs, Sets never seen before:

 

Understood?

[Lion King]

13 minutes ago, Operacion Saturno said:

Remakes are new versions of old Classic Space sets like the 10487 which is a remake of the Galaxy Explorer from 1979.

These are a new designs, Sets never seen before:

 

Understood?

Understood, thank you for clarifying. Something fresh and original would be great. 

[Lyichir]

15 minutes ago, Operacion Saturno said:

Remakes are new versions of old Classic Space sets like the 10487 which is a remake of the Galaxy Explorer from 1979.

These are a new designs, Sets never seen before:

Understood?

New Classic Space models could be cool I guess but to be honest none of the examples you shared here really have the "feel" of Classic Space to me—the shame color scheme, maybe, but the bulbous shapes feel totally different from the angular, industrial aesthetic of the original sets or even some of its more modern iterations like Benny's Spaceship or last year's Galaxy Explorer. I feel like that's a challenge if doing "new" Classic Space designs—the more you diverge from the original source material, the harder it is to appeal to all fans of that original theme.

I would like to see a classic space moonbase to go with that Galaxy Explorer, though—and an original design might be the best approach for something like that since the ground bases from the original sets, being very sparse and open to the elements, might be considered to have aged more poorly than some of the spaceship builds.

[Operacion Saturno]

3 hours ago, Lyichir said:

New Classic Space models could be cool I guess but to be honest none of the examples you shared here really have the "feel" of Classic Space to me—the shame color scheme, maybe, but the bulbous shapes feel totally different from the angular, industrial aesthetic of the original sets or even some of its more modern iterations like Benny's Spaceship or last year's Galaxy Explorer. I feel like that's a challenge if doing "new" Classic Space designs—the more you diverge from the original source material, the harder it is to appeal to all fans of that original theme.

I would like to see a classic space moonbase to go with that Galaxy Explorer, though—and an original design might be the best approach for something like that since the ground bases from the original sets, being very sparse and open to the elements, might be considered to have aged more poorly than some of the spaceship builds.

I agree with all that, saddly if you create them as you said, it won't be much appreciation for them.
Sometimes old sets look cooler to us because of nostalgia, not for being better designed or with new functions. I tried and today Lego fans don't appreciate what you are refering to.

[ImBrickingIt]

Really hope that we are getting that $100 Blacktron ship. It probably the renegade as that’s the only ship that would fit the price point.

[Merlo]

27 minutes ago, ImBrickingIt said:

Really hope that we are getting that $100 Blacktron ship. It probably the renegade as that’s the only ship that would fit the price point.

Aerial Intruder could be upscaled.

[icm]

@Merlo, since you're not a fan of upscaling for its own sake (come to think of it, neither am I - though it can be done well), what other play features or design elements would you add to the Aerial Intruder to make an upscaled version worthwhile?

[danth]

I'm not sure how Lego would recreate the polyhedral shape of the Aerial Intruder's two side canopies. I can't think of any way to make them look right with existing parts. They don't seem big on making new parts or bringing back old ones.

[Merlo]

59 minutes ago, icm said:

@Merlo, since you're not a fan of upscaling for its own sake (come to think of it, neither am I - though it can be done well), what other play features or design elements would you add to the Aerial Intruder to make an upscaled version worthwhile?

I'm not sure if the designers would be tasked with adding new features, but if we draw parallels to 10497 it's clear this set has a more unusual shape that I feel works even to this day when looking at the silhouette, while the original GE perhaps has that "old car" look nowadays.

But since the hull/cargo area here is much bigger it would make sense and probably be a lot of fun to fill out the previously "empty" parts with bricks, actually outlining a ship that was only hinted before on the account of brick limits and younger intended audience.

Given that the ship already comes with some level of visual badassery despite the limitations, giving it the 10497 treatment might make it truly wicked looking.

 

2 minutes ago, danth said:

I'm not sure how Lego would recreate the polyhedral shape of the Aerial Intruder's two side canopies. I can't think of any way to make them look right with existing parts. They don't seem big on making new parts or bringing back old ones.

Same. But I am not really aware of all the available parts nor of all the methods skilled designers might use. I do not think they really need to be polyhedral though. Don't we have some round or round-ish canopies from SW sets, etc?

[Lyichir]

Do we know for sure that the rumored Space set is Blacktron? A part of me wonders if a Space Police I set might be an option (which would allow them to reuse the Blacktron I torso from this year's GWP). I could definitely see a Space Police I-inspired ship working with modern parts, possibly including either new windscreen recolors and/or some of the ones from last year's Monkie Kid spaceship.

[Merlo]

4 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

Do we know for sure that the rumored Space set is Blacktron? A part of me wonders if a Space Police I set might be an option (which would allow them to reuse the Blacktron I torso from this year's GWP). I could definitely see a Space Police I-inspired ship working with modern parts, possibly including either new windscreen recolors and/or some of the ones from last year's Monkie Kid spaceship.

Yes, please. But could/would they create a ship that's merely inspired by SP and still make it feel authentic or, alternatively, do they have all it takes to remake one?

Also, with how safe Lego has been playing, is SP popular enough to be the 2nd entry in this theoretical space remakes list, or would it be more of a B-side?

[danth]

34 minutes ago, Merlo said:

Don't we have some round or round-ish canopies from SW sets, etc?

Yes, they could go "curvy" with spherical canopies. But would they? Many people expect throwback space ships need to be angular.

[Merlo]

6 hours ago, danth said:

Yes, they could go "curvy" with spherical canopies. But would they? Many people expect throwback space ships need to be angular.

The Galaxy Explorer, sure. But was the Intruder really angular or just the best approximation of curves they had?

I love the original canopies as angular looks "bricky" to me. But even if they could remake those, would they be useful outside of this set? And is the ship big enough not to get a boost in size?

Curved and angles can also be combined. They could also just print a bubble piece to make it look more similar to the original piece.

The monkey kid canopies are not angular either.

I don't think details will matter as much if the final product is attractive, just like with 10497.

Renegade seems much easier to make, though. It's possible to retain the same shape but just dress it up a little. It would be awesome though (and AFOL aproppriate) if they leaned a bit into the greebly mechanical/insectoid nature of it.

[Artanis I]

They should just make some kind of Striker redesign (bigger or just better/newer), reuse the Blacktron minifig as its prison cell occupant. Lights & sounds included.

[ImBrickingIt]

4 hours ago, Artanis I said:

They should just make some kind of Striker redesign (bigger or just better/newer), reuse the Blacktron minifig as its prison cell occupant. Lights & sounds included.

Personally an updated version of the 6986 mission commander would be great and fit the price point well. Could also reuse the GWP Blacktron Cruiser minifigure.

Lights and sounds probably aren’t happening considering the piece count is 966 and price is $100.

[SpacePolice89]

On 9/15/2023 at 4:06 PM, ImBrickingIt said:

Personally an updated version of the 6986 mission commander would be great and fit the price point well. Could also reuse the GWP Blacktron Cruiser minifigure.

Lights and sounds probably aren’t happening considering the piece count is 966 and price is $100.

If it's a Space Police set I'm sure it'll be very popular and the Mission Commander is an excellent choice. I hope they keep the original minifigures like they did with the Classic Space and Blacktron (+backprint) remakes.

[danth]

On 9/13/2023 at 2:06 PM, Lyichir said:

New Classic Space models could be cool I guess but to be honest none of the examples you shared here really have the "feel" of Classic Space to me—the shame color scheme, maybe, but the bulbous shapes feel totally different from the angular, industrial aesthetic of the original sets or even some of its more modern iterations like Benny's Spaceship or last year's Galaxy Explorer.

On 9/13/2023 at 5:29 PM, Operacion Saturno said:

Sometimes old sets look cooler to us because of nostalgia, not for being better designed or with new functions.

If new designs with Classic Space colors and curved/rounded parts are called 'Neo" Classic Space, that might keep everyone happy.

[Lyichir]

6 minutes ago, danth said:

If new designs with Classic Space colors and curved/rounded parts are called 'Neo" Classic Space, that might keep everyone happy.

Eh... maybe. Personally I sort of feel that if you're going to abandon so much of the classic design language, you might as well be making a whole new space theme instead. There's more to the Classic Space look than blues and greys. Plus there's plenty of more modern angular windscreen parts that'd be lovely to get in some of those more classic colors!

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, SpacePolice89 said:

If it's a Space Police set I'm sure it'll be very popular and the Mission Commander is an excellent choice. I hope they keep the original minifigures like they did with the Classic Space and Blacktron (+backprint) remakes.

While I agree that would probably be best for consistency's sake, I also wouldn't mind if a retro-inspired Space Police set also included a "Space Police Chief" minifig, like the ones from the 1992–1993 and 2009–2010 incarnations. It wouldn't even need different printing, necessarily — just a pair of epaulets in addition to the standard air tank to indicate a higher rank.

I'm also not so sure whether these sorts of near-exact recreations of older torso and face prints should remain the norm for all "throwback" Space sets going forward. Certainly, for a lot of the 80s Space factions, that minimalism is a relatively intrinsic part of their appeal. But with some of the 90s Space factions, I feel like questions start to emerge about which details are still in line with modern standards of quality, and which speak to the conventions and limitations of their time:

• For example, should newly-released Space Police 2 torsos stick to using dotted lines to represent cables and zippers and a rectangular drop shadow to simulate depth for their police radios (and showing the minifig's yellow skin through the contour lines of their headsets)? Or would it be better to print those details with more realistic outlines and shading?
   
• Also, is it still best for those spacesuits' main torso colors to be printed on a white torso, or would it be more appropriate to use green as the base color so that it realistically wraps around the back and sides of the torso? And since the face prints from this subtheme had printed bangs, should actual hair/wig pieces be provided as well, so the officers don't look like their bangs are all that's left of their hair when they remove their helmets?
   
• Might it even be reasonable to include NEW faces for this faction, so that they look less like clones with the same hair color, hairstyle, and eyebrow shape? After all, all the later Space factions with this level of facial detail did individualize their crew members more — though at that time, that often meant limiting the largest sets to three minifigs each to avoid repetition!
   
• Even in the case of M:Tron rescuers or Blacktron 2 spies (whose torso and face graphics were limited to a simple logo and classic smile, like the Classic Space astronauts), is it really best to stick with the unprinted "black Speedo over white tights" look for their lower bodies? Or would fans be willing to accept additional details such as printed belts or dual-molded boots (like those of the Minifigures Series 22 Space Police Guy) that feel more convincing as part of a futuristic spacesuit?

I think these sorts of questions are worth considering if and when LEGO gets around to making "throwback sets" based on Space themes with minifigs that aren't primarily remembered for their candy-colored simplicity like the Classic Space or Futuron astronauts are. While I know there are a number of old-school AFOLs who still prefer the old-school simplicity even when it did mean sacrificing realism, there are also a lot of us out there who appreciate seeing new versions of older minifigures (like the recent Lion Knights and Black Falcons) specifically because it allows for an improved level of detail.

Edited September 16, 2023 by Aanchir

[danth]

5 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

Eh... maybe. Personally I sort of feel that if you're going to abandon so much of the classic design language, you might as well be making a whole new space theme instead. There's more to the Classic Space look than blues and greys. Plus there's plenty of more modern angular windscreen parts that'd be lovely to get in some of those more classic colors!

Oh were we talking about official sets? That makes sense. Yeah, I don't see the point of Lego making a Neo Classic Space set.

I meant more for MOCs. Sorry if I was not following the conversation. But anyway, if I made a Space MOC with rounded canopies, and someone said it was not Classic Space because of that, I might be miffed. But if they said it's more Neo Classic Space, it would be more of a compliment.

Personally, for new Space sets/themes, I have no issues with rounded canopies. I mean, that ship has sailed anyway: Mars Mission, SP3, etc. I do prefer canopies in some fun color though.

[Lyichir]

3 hours ago, danth said:

Oh were we talking about official sets? That makes sense. Yeah, I don't see the point of Lego making a Neo Classic Space set.

I meant more for MOCs. Sorry if I was not following the conversation. But anyway, if I made a Space MOC with rounded canopies, and someone said it was not Classic Space because of that, I might be miffed. But if they said it's more Neo Classic Space, it would be more of a compliment.

Personally, for new Space sets/themes, I have no issues with rounded canopies. I mean, that ship has sailed anyway: Mars Mission, SP3, etc. I do prefer canopies in some fun color though.

Oh, for sure, I don't mind other people making MOCs that are more attuned to their own personal opinions and taste in classic themes. After all (as this topic and others in this forum plainly attest to) everybody's personal preference for things like that can differ wildly. But since Lego has both the means to go more authentic (recoloring parts that haven't been in classic colors before), and their output directly affects my options as a builder, I obviously have my own particular hopes for what kinds of classic-inspired sets there could be in the future.

Speaking of recolors, a part of me hopes that the new part 4569 (a 1x6 slope matching the angle of the classic 6x8 slope used for the spoiler on the recent Galaxy Explorer set) comes in some other colors like blue, grey, and black soon. So far I think it only appears in white and earth blue in the Concorde set, but as a brand-new basic slope piece I think it has a TON of potential for classic-inspired builds.

[SpacePolice89]

13 hours ago, Aanchir said:

While I agree that would probably be best for consistency's sake, I also wouldn't mind if a retro-inspired Space Police set also included a "Space Police Chief" minifig, like the ones from the 1992–1993 and 2009–2010 incarnations. It wouldn't even need different printing, necessarily — just a pair of epaulets in addition to the standard air tank to indicate a higher rank.

I'm also not so sure whether these sorts of near-exact recreations of older torso and face prints should remain the norm for all "throwback" Space sets going forward. Certainly, for a lot of the 80s Space factions, that minimalism is a relatively intrinsic part of their appeal. But with some of the 90s Space factions, I feel like questions start to emerge about which details are still in line with modern standards of quality, and which speak to the conventions and limitations of their time:

• For example, should newly-released Space Police 2 torsos stick to using dotted lines to represent cables and zippers and a rectangular drop shadow to simulate depth for their police radios (and showing the minifig's yellow skin through the contour lines of their headsets)? Or would it be better to print those details with more realistic outlines and shading?
   
• Also, is it still best for those spacesuits' main torso colors to be printed on a white torso, or would it be more appropriate to use green as the base color so that it realistically wraps around the back and sides of the torso? And since the face prints from this subtheme had printed bangs, should actual hair/wig pieces be provided as well, so the officers don't look like their bangs are all that's left of their hair when they remove their helmets?
   
• Might it even be reasonable to include NEW faces for this faction, so that they look less like clones with the same hair color, hairstyle, and eyebrow shape? After all, all the later Space factions with this level of facial detail did individualize their crew members more — though at that time, that often meant limiting the largest sets to three minifigs each to avoid repetition!
   
• Even in the case of M:Tron rescuers or Blacktron 2 spies (whose torso and face graphics were limited to a simple logo and classic smile, like the Classic Space astronauts), is it really best to stick with the unprinted "black Speedo over white tights" look for their lower bodies? Or would fans be willing to accept additional details such as printed belts or dual-molded boots (like those of the Minifigures Series 22 Space Police Guy) that feel more convincing as part of a futuristic spacesuit?

I think these sorts of questions are worth considering if and when LEGO gets around to making "throwback sets" based on Space themes with minifigs that aren't primarily remembered for their candy-colored simplicity like the Classic Space or Futuron astronauts are. While I know there are a number of old-school AFOLs who still prefer the old-school simplicity even when it did mean sacrificing realism, there are also a lot of us out there who appreciate seeing new versions of older minifigures (like the recent Lion Knights and Black Falcons) specifically because it allows for an improved level of detail.

When it comes to such sets I believe it's important to keep the original design of the minifigures. They sell for two reasons: appreciation for a design style that is very rare nowadays and nostalgia and fandom of older themes. Therefore it's of utmost importance to keep the design of the minifigures the same because then there is continuity with the original sets from that theme. Lego minifigures will never look like real people so it is better overall to keep the classic Lego look with simpler designs and prints instead of making the prints as realistic as possible. A Space Police 1 chief would be a welcome addition as would new new faces as long as they stay true to the style of the theme or subtheme in question. For those who like more detailed prints there are many modern themes with such minifigures that are readily available. It's also vary rare to be able to buy newly produced versions of classic minifigures. I've ordered a lot of Blacktron 1 minifigs from pick a brick and it would be great to be able to do so for other minifigs as well.

Edited September 17, 2023 by SpacePolice89

[GeoBrick]

5 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

...I've ordered a lot of Blacktron 1 minifigs from pick a brick and it would be great to be able to do so for other minifigs as well.

Blacktron minifigs (from the GWP Blacktron Cruiser sets) are available through PAB?

[SpacePolice89]

1 hour ago, GeoBrick said:

Blacktron minifigs (from the GWP Blacktron Cruiser sets) are available through PAB?

Yes, but you have to buy all parts separately

https://www.lego.com/en-fi/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick?appearsIn=40580&perPage=400

The heads and the legs are shipped from Poland and the rest from Billund, Denmark

Edited September 17, 2023 by SpacePolice89