Minifigure Review: Classic Red Spaceman

[Zarkan]

Like all of TLC’s evergreen themes, the space line has had a wide variety of minifigures released over the years, which range from the simplistic but effective to the detailed and menacing. Today, I’ll be starting a series of reviews/overviews of the many figures of space, begining with one of the all-time favorites: the classic red spaceman.

First year of release: 1979

Last year of release: 1988

As any older spacefan knows, the Classic Spacemen were the very first space minifigures ever made by lego, and they came in a number of colors. The most common of these was the red spaceman, which came in a whopping FOURTY-SIX sets. It's not suprising though - after all, the striking red color scheme no doubt served as a great method of attracting kids to the sets it appeared in.

Like all of the other classic space figures, the red spacemen came in five parts:

.

Undoubtedly, the most interesting part today is the red oldstyle helmet, which is no longer in production. The printed torso is also excellent, combining sharp printing with a simple but effective design.

As previously mentioned, the red spacemen was included in 46 sets. Notable appearances include:

483 Alpha-1 Rocket Base -

6970 Beta-1 Command Base -

497 Galaxy Explorer -

487 Space Cruiser -

6985 Cosmic Fleet Voyager -

A full list of the sets it appeared in can be found

HERE.

This minifig also comes in two other versions: a stickered version and the version released in the Vintage Minifigure Collection - Volume 1.

As expected, the stickered version is no different from the printed version, except of course, that the toros is a sticker rather than a printed part. I have no idea what sets these were included in, as bricklink has no information on the avaliability.

However, the rereleased version is much more unique, as it uses the new helmet style instead of the old one, and also features a slightly different shade of yellow on the printed space logo.

In conclusion, there's nothing really quite like the spacemen, and the red version stands out as one of the best types. Whether you're young and just like astronauts or are older and want a piece of nostalga, the red spaceman is a winner all around.

Resources:

Bricklink entry for this minifig

Minifigs.net reference for this minifig (scroll down)

Edited June 16, 2009 by Grevious

[WhiteFang]

This is an informative detailed review on this minifig!

I didn't know there were so many sets appeared for the Classic Red Spaceman. I am clueless about Classic Space earlier, but reading through this certainly give me some good insights.

[Galaxy Explorer]

What a great review! Classic Space minifigures are the best- I think I have more red guys than any other color. Looking forward to your next review!

[Hewman]

And don't forget the other version, the thick chinstrap helmet version after Lego discovered the original helmets split easy. To the obsessive purist like me, the thin strapped figs are definitely more valuable. Thanks for the review, I look forward to white, yellow, black and blue!

[Spacefan]

A piece of LEGO history to be certain, of which I have several.

The red spaceman appeared in most Space sets from late 1978 on through much of the 80's, though IMO his most notable appearance being with the 497/928 Galaxy Explorer. A simple design, but one which worked to great effect in its day.

[Clone OPatra]

And don't forget the other version, the thick chinstrap helmet version after Lego discovered the original helmets split easy. To the obsessive purist like me, the thin strapped figs are definitely more valuable. Thanks for the review, I look forward to white, yellow, black and blue!

There were also the different helmets with or without holes for a visor that the spacemen came with.

Nice overview of the minifigure!

[ILikePi]

Thanks for the great review of this well known minifig. I can't wait to see more of these!

[Algernon]

I honestly don't understand it's appeal. Minifigs have taken a huge step in the right direction since then- more detail, variety, accessories, etc. Sure, it's an icon of classic Space, but the minifig itself strikes me as bland.

[Tom Bricks]

I have got to get some of these. There's just something special about this design.

[just2good]

The minifigure is cool, but the jet packs are great!

Nice way to do the first (probably) minifigure review. I might do one soon.

[Ratshot]

Man, that is a lot of sets for just ONE minifig to come in. I am in awe I rated this guy below average because...........well I'm not completely sure why I rated him so low, he just doesn't seem all that interesting I guess

[zeeronemo]

As expected, the stickered version is no different from the printed version, except of course, that the torso is a sticker rather than a printed part. I have no idea what sets these were included in, as bricklink has no information on the avaliability.

The first minifigs appeared in 1978, the first with printed torsos only in 1979.

The stickered torsos apparently are from the first sets.

I still have two (white) stickered torsos from 886-Space Buggy and 894-Mobile Tracking Station.

Could be interesting to cut them out and create a -100% lego!- green or grey spaceman.

[Cavannus]

I honestly don't understand it's appeal. Minifigs have taken a huge step in the right direction since then- more detail, variety, accessories, etc. Sure, it's an icon of classic Space, but the minifig itself strikes me as bland.

1. Nostalgia.

2. They represent the typical & kitsch 70's sci-fi spacesuit as seen on movies or comics, with a "bright colour", "smooth", and "bulbous" design.

See for example Yoko Tsuno or this image.

3. I think that today, the level of details of a lot of torsos is not coherent with the minifig shape as well as the set design. I mean that torso's printed drawings contain a lot of details (such as a cell phone, a zip, some buttons, etc.) while the minifig body remains a basic trapezium and the sets are built with "squares" and "angles".

The classic old torso is simple and coherent with the "basic" minifig and spaceship design. Everybody can imagine what is represented behind this torso (there are probably commands, buttons, zips, pockets, etc. that you can imagine as you can imagine gears and pedals on a Lego car).

There were also the different helmets with or without holes for a visor that the spacemen came with.

I've always found this weird because the light grey helmets used for Castle had these dimples, so I would expect that the moulder would be the same for all helmets.

Edited July 4, 2009 by Cavannus

[samthelegoman1]

The yellow Spaceman could also be a streaker with a Space tattoo and helmet!

[ajfr721]

If you like classic spacemen:

[KeepLeft]

I have a couple of the red and white space minifigs and they remain my favourite, it is a simple but to my mind an elegant design and I love the face which does not have a specific expression but simply a smily face.

[Gongoro73]

Oh, man, how I miss my old good spacemen. I had a bunch of them in several colours when I was a kid, but, as I grew up, my mother donated my entire Lego city and space collection. And it was a big one... I still dream about it.

[DPrime]

If you like classic spacemen:

Where did that grey one come from? Custom?

[ajfr721]

Personal manufacturing, i confirm it!

[mrfuture]

I like good old spaceman, may be since it is the first space Lego i had in my childhood.

This review also answered a comment that i got on an event that some had stickers, I did not know since all mine was printed. Also the mobile tracking station set. May be it was the first batch?

[notaromantic]

I honestly don't understand it's appeal. Minifigs have taken a huge step in the right direction since then- more detail, variety, accessories, etc. Sure, it's an icon of classic Space, but the minifig itself strikes me as bland.

I am making a hissing sound at this comment, like my cat does to me when I smell bad. I just can't comprehend its non-appeal. The red spaceman was, is, the absolute best of figs - ever.

This summer, I had to find all of the classic colors of Spacemen, with pristine logos, because I was afraid they would be becoming very scarce, if not expensive, in the future. Glad I did. Only the white and black are comparable to the red. Yellow next. The blue, however, never really did settle well with me. But I do think that the Classic Spacemen, in many ways, encapsulated what Lego was really all about when it did finally hit us here in America. Nostalgic - perhaps. Bland - certainly not. Special - definitely.

[pup]

Only the white and black are comparable to the red. Yellow next. The blue, however, never really did settle well with me.

I completely agree that Classic Spacemen were special -- although the red guy wasn't my favorite, and the black-suited one confused me as a child. (Why would an astronaut want a suit that would be hard to see if his tether broke?) Of course, that issue didn't bother me once Blacktron came out. Kids and logic... My favorites were always the white and blue guys. Now we've got the new green ones to love, as well.

When the Space sets came out under the City umbrella a few years back, they didn't have the same charm for me as the old Classic Space sets, and I had no desire to get any of them. I don't know if that's nostalgia speaking or not. However, when the Exosuit came out, I picked one up the first day!

Now I've got the theme for "Space 1999" stuck in my head... Martin Landau and the gang wore red suits whenever they left the station.

[AmperZand]

I honestly don't understand it's appeal. Minifigs have taken a huge step in the right direction since then- more detail, variety, accessories, etc. Sure, it's an icon of classic Space, but the minifig itself strikes me as bland.

For those of us who remember when the only minifigs were static with a single piece torso assembly (fused arms) and a featureless head, the first minifigs including the red astronaut were simply magical.

I mostly collect historical and fantasy minifigs now but a couple of the few sci-fi ones in my display collection are these guys:

[dark secret]

This is my favorite Classic Space minifig and the Blue one! :)