Where is Space 2012?

[Aanchir]

Seriously? Has TLG's designers' brains gone completely dry of imagination? We have more licenced themes than anything and it's like to them coming up with a new theme like AC (not very great in my opinion) is like going to mars for real. They even released LEGO Cuusoo this year where basically fans make the sets... maybe they should get the money .

Ummm... the fans do get the money. Or at least, a reasonable cut of it, for giving the proposal. TLG's set designers still design the finished sets to be marketable and enjoyable products, so they can very greatly from the original proposal.

But seriously Blacktron lll has to happen soon. Hopefully this hiatus is short and is a sign TLG has been working on a great new theme *Ahem Blacktron lll* that will blow our minds. TLG's quality has been going way up (Except in price ) and kids now a days are way more moderanized and if TLG released an auesome new theme, AFOL's and kids all over the world would run into their little TRU's, run into the LEGO aeil at full speed and start touching and looking at all the boxes with their grimy hands because the internet isnt fun to use to look at a box . LEGO, do us a favor, we. Want. SPACE.

I think Blacktron III would have to happen alongside a "good guy" theme, if at all. Single-faction themes are a thing of the past. I personally wouldn't expect it until the next iteration of Space Police, since Space Police are as firmly-rooted in the heroic tradition of LEGO Space as Blacktron is in the villainous tradition of LEGO Space.

I'm not too upset about the lack of Space sets, because I'm getting plenty of enjoyment from the Ninjago theme, and together with Hero Factory that's going to eat up enough of my budget for new sets as it is. It's certainly curious that this year all of TLG's supposed "evergreen" themes besides City are on hiatus, and I'm curious how TLG justifies this, but LEGO Space doesn't necessarily give me any enjoyment I can't find in other themes while I wait for a Space theme to arrive that's totally worth the wait.

[LEGOman273]

Exactly... Maybe Space 2012 could be about humankind evacuating Earth in spaceships because of it.

That actually sounds like it could be cool. Perhaps as a 2nd half of Alien Conquest.

A naw era of space exploration.

[zinfinion]

I think the throwback to early 20th century alien invasion was great, but honestly, there's only so many round flying saucers you can make. I'd be interested to see what they could come up with if they expanded the theme to pulp era sci fi in general. That or an X-COM license.

[Lego Wargammer]

I think Blacktron III would have to happen alongside a "good guy" theme, if at all. Single-faction themes are a thing of the past. I personally wouldn't expect it until the next iteration of Space Police, since Space Police are as firmly-rooted in the heroic tradition of LEGO Space as Blacktron is in the villainous tradition of LEGO Space.

Ideally the next 'Space' wave would be Blacktron 3 with Blacktron as the bad guys vs the marines (marines represented by the figure in collectiable minifigures set 7) it would please everyone. well me at least lots of ships/vehicals a base or two and a battle pack or two of minifigures

I'm not sure how popular Space police 3 or Alien conquest have been but personally I liked both series quite a bit and I hope Lego continues with these types of set. or taking a break from conflicts in space and have a civilians in space theme with exploration as the main thrust but I really don't think it would sell that well. customers whether they are children or adults seem to be more drawn to the conflict themes.

anyway just my 2 cents

Edited January 29, 2012 by Lego Wargammer

[BrickBucket]

Ideally the next 'Space' wave would be Blacktron 3 with Blacktron as the bad guys vs the marines (marines represented by the figure in collectiable minifigures set 7) it would please everyone. well me at least lots of ships/vehicals a base or two and a battle pack or two of minifigures

I'm not sure how popular Space police 3 or Alien conquest have been but personally I liked both series quite a bit and I hope Lego continues with these types of set. or taking a break from conflicts in space and have a civilians in space theme with exploration as the main thrust but I really don't think it would sell that well. customers whether they are children or adults seem to be more drawn to the conflict themes.

anyway just my 2 cents

Star wars is now the Lego classic space theme

Sad but true

I have nothing against Star Wars (well except maybe the prequels) but the licensed sets bring in more money for the LG and take more resources away (designers, budget) from traditional Lego themes, so if you really want to see more traditional Lego themes, avoid buying licensed sets. I know it's too hard to resist, and it probably won't make a difference (unless you can influence a huge legion of kids), but money is what drives Lego.

Personally I would love Blacktron III. I've put a moratorium on anything Star Wars (unless on clearance).

[Piranha]

I think I figured out why no space this year, I heard they are coming out with a licensed theme called "Star Wars". Like what happened to Pirates II and Kingdoms from LOTR and POTC.

All joking a side Star Wars has been the dominate space related theme although the space themes are getting better.

[-zenn]

I don't think we can expect anything for 2012, at least that's what I think.

An add-on to the City space line would be nice, like a lunar module or something. It would be plausible considering the partnership with NASA and all. Or an expansion for the Alien Conquest line could be easily done, but depends on the sales of this line I guess.

Why was Space so much bigger in the 80's and 90's!?

[Laura Beinbrech]

Why was Space so much bigger in the 80's and 90's!?

Well, as our fearless leader just pointed out (more or less), the 80's and 90's were BEFORE LEGO Star Wars came out.

...although I will admit to doing a marathon session of the happy dance when I first found out that actual Licensed LEGO Star Wars sets were coming out: My brother and I would have been willing to chew off our left arms (well he would have chewed off his right since he's left-handed) for an official Star Wars theme when we first got into LEGO back in '88. Instead we had to make do with using a Blacktron I torso with one of the black castle noseguard helmets and a custom face mask made from a piece of index card for our Darth vader, and use trans-red and trans-blue antenna pieces for lightsabers....

So, yeah, Star Wars is the main reason why LEGO Space has tended to be shoved off to the sidelines the past twelve years or so. On the plus side, the Star Wars parts and figures are great for general Sci-fi MOCs (as can be seen with the Mon Calamari on my PT Boat crews....)

[Si-MOCs]

So, yeah, Star Wars is the main reason why LEGO Space has tended to be shoved off to the sidelines the past twelve years or so. On the plus side, the Star Wars parts and figures are great for general Sci-fi MOCs (as can be seen with the Mon Calamari on my PT Boat crews....)

Yes, I agree - while the prices may be a bit high for SW sets - the pieces they come with have been the biggest boon to SciFi-Mocs we could have ever asked for... So I can't really complain about lack of Space sets.

So we should count ourselves lucky that we get a space/scifi theme every few years

[Laura Beinbrech]

Also, don't forget about Pick A Brick.... When I first got back into LEGO about 3 years ago, I discovered that this windscreen piece:

...had been discontinued some time ago, which prompted me to do a fair imitation of Luke Skywalker when he found out Darth Vader was his father.

Then, last year, Star Wars and Alien Conquest brought us this windscreen piece:

...which is basically a spiritual successor to the old "Space Police I" (that's what I call it because it was introduced in that theme) windscreen, meaning that I'll now be able to make updated versions of my Sky Spear space fighter, among other things. Not only is the new windscreen now widely available in Ninjago, Star Wars and other sets, but you can actually buy them through Pick A Brick!

The main draw of Star Wars sets for me, aside from being able to get official minifigs of my favorite characters, is the aliens.

[Algernon]

Yes, I agree - while the prices may be a bit high for SW sets - the pieces they come with have been the biggest boon to SciFi-Mocs we could have ever asked for... So I can't really complain about lack of Space sets.

So we should count ourselves lucky that we get a space/scifi theme every few years

What about collectors who don't MOC much? I usually buy sets to use as display pieces, collect minifigs, and play with. Not to mention how ludicrously overpriced some of the Star Wars sets are. I'd much rather more consistent LEGO Space releases.

[Si-MOCs]

What about collectors who don't MOC much? I usually buy sets to use as display pieces, collect minifigs, and play with. Not to mention how ludicrously overpriced some of the Star Wars sets are. I'd much rather more consistent LEGO Space releases.

That's why I said, *I* really can't complain.

You my friend, be my guest and complain

Though I suspect if LEGO didn't have the SW theme, it'd be pretty hard for LEGO to come up with fresh ideas Space for 10 straight years - so maybe it wasn't so bad to have overpriced SW *AND* a few themes in the last decade.

And I sorta play with my MOCs too.... Just cause swooshing makes everything fall apart, doesn't mean I don't *WANT* to SWOOSH.

[-zenn]

the 80's and 90's were BEFORE LEGO Star Wars came out. So, yeah, Star Wars is the main reason why LEGO Space has tended to be shoved off to the sidelines the past twelve years or so.

Besides SW, I wonder if it has a underlying reason; political invironment of that time, technology race etc.

From 2002 till 2006 the space line was on hold for Lego Star Wars, this could also be a change into childrens social interests.

Anyway, I don't think they're gonna do a reboot of an older theme cause of expansion into new markets, which are more profitable. So it might just depend a little on what's 'hot' in the (childrens) media.

[Gryphon Ink]

Besides SW, I wonder if it has a underlying reason; political invironment of that time, technology race etc.

From 2002 till 2006 the space line was on hold for Lego Star Wars, this could also be a change into childrens social interests.

Anyway, I don't think they're gonna do a reboot of an older theme cause of expansion into new markets, which are more profitable. So it might just depend a little on what's 'hot' in the (childrens) media.

I was just going to say this. It's not Star Wars stealing all the Space resources, although that is surely part of it. It's also the fact that space just isn't as hot as it used to be. In the Seventies and Eighties, space was where everybody thought the future was. Deep space exploration was the major theme of science fiction, and it was THE hot subject for kids' games. Now, in the real world we've pretty much turned our backs on deep space, and superheroes and fantasy are a lot hotter. So, voila, we have Superheroes and Monster Fighters in Lego. TLG would be extremely foolish to ignore this overwhelming reality just so they could keep an old promise about evergreen themes. I'm sure they will go back to Space in another year or two, but the reality is that Superheroes will probably sell many times better than Alien Conquest and Space Police III put together, and they can only do so many themes in a year.

[sharky]

I would love to see a few more sets along the lines of City Space. Maybe some kind of moon lander set. Basically, any reason to bring back the moon landscaped base plate.

Just wanted to throw this in here because now in retrospect I find it amusing. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course since at the time we had only unconfirmed rumors.

You're right about LotR - it's just wild speculation.

[brickmack]

Yes, I agree - while the prices may be a bit high for SW sets - the pieces they come with have been the biggest boon to SciFi-Mocs we could have ever asked for... So I can't really complain about lack of Space sets.

So we should count ourselves lucky that we get a space/scifi theme every few years

I agree with this, the sets are often way overpriced, but so many new parts have come out of it, I think it's probably one of the most important things LEGO ever did in terms of parts, and not just in scifi. Many parts commonly used now (such as most of the curved parts) were originally created for SW. And even if you don't want to overpay for the set, the parts are quickly available on Bricklink.

[Laura Beinbrech]

I agree with this, the sets are often way overpriced, but so many new parts have come out of it, I think it's probably one of the most important things LEGO ever did in terms of parts, and not just in scifi. Many parts commonly used now (such as most of the curved parts) were originally created for SW. And even if you don't want to overpay for the set, the parts are quickly available on Bricklink.

Oh, I quite agree: I've found some, such as the 3x3 jet turbine thingy that was introduced in the 1999 Naboo Fighter and X-Wing is perfect for making boilers for ships and trains in my post-apoc steampunkish setting, and IIRC, the fighter-jet style bubble canopy was also introduced in the Star Wars line... Still, I wouldn't mind seeing some more stuff along the lines of Classic Space, but at least they kind of satisfied that with the CMF spaceman and space girl....

[CaptainBermuda]

Am I the only one that has a hard time calling Alien Conquest a space theme. To me it's more of a Sci-Fi action theme than anything else. So for me Space has already taking a hiatus this year. :/ And I guess that there could be a space theme in 2HY 2012 that we haven't heard about yeat but it's starting to be more and more unlikely for every bit of news we get. So If there's a hiatus next year I sure hope they hit us with a bang in 2013.

But I guess one shouldn't start longing for new space already as that will surely just lead to dissapointment... :/

I agree with the Alien's conquest not a space theme. It really didn't have much to do with space. Also, they do seem to have a lot of new stuff coming in for 2012, so that's probably why they didn't do a new space theme. One last thing, is that they have been adding a little space thing in all of the minifigure series', and the new monster fighters theme is using a lot of figures identical or very similar to the monsters in the minifigure series'. That could,mena they might make some new kind of space theme, but for 2013.

Edited March 9, 2012 by CaptainBermuda

[The_Creator]

Hi, I'm fairly new to Eurobricks and I hope there isn't already a topic for this.

Is there any information out about whats happening to space this year? More Alien Conquest a new theme or nothing?

-The_Creator

[Algernon]

There is no official Space theme this year. Alien Conquest is being retired, as it was always planned to be a one-wave theme. The intense focus on licensed themes is probably to blame for this.

That said, there's no information on next year yet, so 2013 is a real possibility for a new LEGO Space theme. But again, everything is speculation at this point.

(and personally, the licensed themes look so good, my wallet is thankful for it. )

[Si-MOCs]

The AC line is actually on sale right now!

Which means it's done I really liked the AC line... I'm sad to see it go...

One little silver lining for 2012 is the Series 7 Space Marine:

You can read all about him, and his friends in WhiteFang's awesome reivew

(though you can make a good argument that a lot of the Ninjago stuff can be classified as Sci-Fi spaces-ish... )

[Piranha]

Hi, I'm fairly new to Eurobricks and I hope there isn't already a topic for this.

Is there any information out about whats happening to space this year? More Alien Conquest a new theme or nothing?

-The_Creator

Welcome to Eurobricks!

Yes, we do have a topic for this already, so I will merge this one with that one.

[Ash]

I'm hoping the popularity of the Space Marine figure leads to some new kind of space frontier/exploration/colonization line down the tracks.

I'm thinking stuff like Alien Conquest's Earth Defence HQ but with an aesthetic similar to the S7 Space Marine and bigger wheels. I doubt that they'd ever do a Halo/Mass Effect style "war" theme, but I think exploration theme would work with a similar look. You could even have some element of the Dino theme here. Vehicles, bases, citizens, marines, scientists... alien beasties.

Oh well, it all works in my head.

[The_Creator]

Welcome to Eurobricks!

Yes, we do have a topic for this already, so I will merge this one with that one.

Thanks

Ok, thanks.

-The_Creator

[Faefrost]

Sadly I suspect that space was superseded not so much by Star Wars this year as by Monster Hunters. Which is filling the role that is not so much as "space" as it is "scifi genre / horror".