Upcoming Classic Space Reboot?

[Microdragons]

Which Cuusoo set do you mean? This one?

It's a nice design, but I miss the WOW factor. Benny's spaceship for example has more tubes and thingies that makes it a real spaceship...

It's pretty impressive, but yeah. However Benny's Spaceship has some modern design elements such as the cockpit being placed further back.

Most of the classic space have forward facing cockpits. It also has huge air intakes. It also has angled SNOTlery all over it. The blasters on the one above aren't red like they should be though. Other than that though it matches the theme.

[snefroe]

funny... there's a traffic sign not that far from where i live. A huge sign indicating the direction of the city center etc. At the bottom of this sign, there's a sticker of a head+helmet of a red classic space dude... it's quite large, you can see it from a serious dinstance. I didn't put it there, to be clear, but... ... you'll never see this with any other Lego minifig theme... For some reason, these classic space dudes have become a cult. They're still very popular, even though, to my knoledge, Lego Space never sold all too well, except for the first couple of years.

Not that long ago, there was this modular building, I believe, with a statute of a Lego space dude, there was also a torso with the classic space logo...

from time to time, the Lego Group creates a reference to the era of Classic space. They never rerelease a set, it's just some sort of salute to that theme...

I think that is how you should see Benny and his spaceship: it's a reference to a golden age, a salute to 1000s of hours of playing time for many 30-40 year olds... but it doesn't mean the return of classic space. the fact there's a cuusoo set coming up is to me an indication that a revival of the old theme is out of the question, otherwise, they wouldn't have gone for one set, but for a theme...

I also don't think it should be revived. Let byegones be byegones. Classic Space was perfect for the timeframe of the late 70s early 80s: an era of exploration in human history, with the launch of the space shuttle, Voyager 1 and 2 were opening up our own solar system to us, Buck Rogers, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica,... Space was HOT back then. Lego just picked up the vibe at the right time and it worked for a while.

In my mind, we've already seen a revival of Classic Space when Life on Mars was released: that series was also about exploration, peaceful existence, running around on a planet or flying in a space ship. There was no solid background story, no real factions, but it seems to me that Lego invested so much in the series that they maybe intended to launch Space anew. Sure, gray and blue and trans yellow where not included, but I guess it all depends on how you define "classic space"...

[ETAV8R]

I think they may be testing the waters. Long live exploration in space, be it Lego or real life. It would be good for kids to have a non-aggresive theme to enjoy and appreciate. It would sell quite well even if it was only released for a year.

You may have something with the idea of TLG trying out some homage to classic space. They used a similar color theme with Alien Conquest. We just need more trans-yellow.

Edited May 14, 2014 by ETAV8R

[jeffnf]

Long after Classic Space was dead, there continued to be other space themes and even Town space sets (e.g. the space shuttle sets). So I think there will always be Lego Space sets, they just won't be Classic Space.

[danth]

Long after Classic Space was dead, there continued to be other space themes and even Town space sets (e.g. the space shuttle sets). So I think there will always be Lego Space sets, they just won't be Classic Space.

This is true. I for one just really, really want another Space theme with the Space logo. The Space logo was used in Classic Space, Futuron, the original Space Police astronauts, and a snowy version was used for Ice Planet 2002. So I think it's due for a comeback -- hell, it's been used on all the Collector Minifig astronauts already.

Imagine if the Galaxy Squad minifigs had the Space logo included on their chests and each space ship/mech had one printed Space logo. AFOLS would have went nuts buying those sets, instead of just buying the 3 coolest ones.

Oh yeah and we please get some air tanks for our astronauts? :)

[snefroe]

Oh yeah and we please get some air tanks for our astronauts? :)

well actually, the pick a brick at Billund event had a box filled with classic yellow tanks. I guess it's a start

[AlmightyArjen]

This is true. I for one just really, really want another Space theme with the Space logo. The Space logo was used in Classic Space, Futuron, the original Space Police astronauts, and a snowy version was used for Ice Planet 2002. So I think it's due for a comeback -- hell, it's been used on all the Collector Minifig astronauts already.

Imagine if the Galaxy Squad minifigs had the Space logo included on their chests and each space ship/mech had one printed Space logo. AFOLS would have went nuts buying those sets, instead of just buying the 3 coolest ones.

Sincerely, being AFOL, even if the galaxy squad came with benny-like minifigs I wouldn't buy it. For me it has nothing to do with classic space, futuron, blacktron, space police and Ice planet... The "space" sets of today totally miss the look and feel of the sets from 20 years ago.

[Samiens]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

[bacem]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

agreed. the modern space time is more like good guy (in most case, human) battling against evil aliens, whil the classic space is more like "hey, let's explore the space and see the wonder of it". but well, let's face it. kids these days prefer an intense human vs aliens battle rather than just calmly exploring space.

[___]

We must not forget that the most people posting here grew up with classic space. As with all sets that you grew up with: they have something special. So in our eyes Classic Space rocks, but does it rock also as a new theme for the current kids? Difficult question...

Well, if I may answer your question: I have probably the biggest 80's+90's space LEGO collestion here in Slovakia and from time to time kids of my friends come to visit me and look the collection, they are really like 6 to 14 boys and some girls sometime :) ...but they never complain they are bored, INSTEAD THEY ARE TRHIILED saying that LEGO they had is not that hmm how to say in english, hmm "very child-intersting" as all these classic space sets are, they always ask me: "uncle Milos tell us what is what and please what do these ones with that ones?" From my personal experience they actually have no intend for some fight-playing, but to my surprise they want play it like: "Hey, base? Listen up: we find some new material, some our ships are already here so send some astronauts with vehicles to explore and return to our base." ...got it? It is not like nowadays children are all fight-action oriented, it seems they are already full with that nonsense like they have enough of it, they want action but not fighting action, rather really kind of that old style exploring missions and mainly what they are always blown away with are THOSEE BIG SPACE BASES WITH THEIR CRATER BASEPLATES (#6970 #6971...but favorite for most is #6987 Blacktron I black base), it seems those are probably the most adoring things they like, so LEGO, I don't know but really, don't you think it's more like you say children like fight action so we are led to believe it's true instead? Think... ;)

BTW: I never really got it why LEGO got rid off one of their most significant brick, it is the crater baseplate #3811...geeeee

Edited May 15, 2014 by bublible

[danth]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

I totally get this, and agree. I found myself wishing that the Galaxy Squad sets were bristling with sensor arrays and antennas instead of guns. I did really like the sets other than that (and other than the bugs which I mostly ignored).

Ironically when I was a kid I used to pretend that all of the pointy bits in my space Lego sets were guns and I loved the idea of fighting. As an adult I do the opposite.

[Lady K]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

I too agree. Although I like the bugs in Galaxy Squad, I prefer exploration. I always have. To me the bugs aren't really he bad guys, just a different race to be studied.

[___]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

Agree...and I really couldn't say it better, my friend!

[Aanchir]

I definitely read it somewhere, it may have just been in a DK book, so true or not. It may just be a retcon or coincidence. But I always figured that all Classics were on the same team. You never see them depicted in conflict or competition. Astros & cosmos all wore white so that vs theory sorta doesn't make sense anyway. If the "reds" are Russian, then the Americans would make more sense to be blue. Plus, red vs blue is an age-old rivalry. Perhaps a few ideas were thrashed around and they decided "let's go with white & red for a combination of the reasons we've come up with, and leave it up to the kids as to how they want to play".

Keep in mind that in the earlier days of the Russian space program, cosmonauts wore orange spacesuits, and red was the closest color to that which LEGO was using for minifigures at the time. This could possibly have inspired the decision to use red to represent the "bad" spacemen. In any case, you're right that the LEGO Group wasn't requiring kids to play with the figures any particular way, but I think Jens Nygaard Knudsen is probably the most authoritative subject on how the designers themselves envisioned the sets and characters.

As Jens Nygaard Knudsen states in the same interview (this time specifically regarding the black classic spacemen, who were imagined as warriors), "...we were not allowed to make a big deal of this. We were not allowed to make war." This is the reason why no explicit conflict appears on packaging or in marketing materials for the Classic Space sets.

I totally get this, and agree. I found myself wishing that the Galaxy Squad sets were bristling with sensor arrays and antennas instead of guns. I did really like the sets other than that (and other than the bugs which I mostly ignored).

Ironically when I was a kid I used to pretend that all of the pointy bits in my space Lego sets were guns and I loved the idea of fighting. As an adult I do the opposite.

Considering that a lot of the "antennas" and "sensor arrays" in classic space sets were meant by the designers to represent guns, I don't think nearly as much has changed as people think (except, perhaps, that LEGO designers are now much more honest about it). From the same Brickjournal issue 6 interview I mentioned in this post:

(Niels Milan Pedersen, another classic space designer) nods in agreement at this point. "There were lots of disagreements about the aerials and other elements that pointed forwards on the ships because of the 'no war' policy." Jens takes over, "We were not allowed to make weapons, and these things we built looked aggressive, so there were a lot of 'radar dishes' added and 'sensor probes', but to us they were really guns!"

Of course, if you want you can do the same thing he and the other designers did in the 70s and 80s and pretend that all those gun-looking things are actually futuristic antennas and sensor arrays... even if many of the weapons more obviously resemble guns and missiles today, you are still free to imagine them however you like.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Aanchir

[Faefrost]

I loved Galaxy Squad but its nothing like classic space or the second generation themes- its brutal and militaristic; classic space was something very different

Ah, the wonderful lens of nostalgia...

Look folks, yes Lego never laid out any adversarial relationships in Classic Space until Blacktron showed up, but let's uncloud our minds and think back to the dawn of Minifigs in space, back to where it all began...in 1978! Does that year seem significant to anyone else? What could possibly have kicked Lego in the head to get them interested in space themes? I mean Astronaut toy lines were pretty much over and done with by the early 70's with the end of Apollo. Besides one brief surge with Apollo Soyuz. It would be the better part of a decade before the Shuttles flew. Star Trek had been at a lower point of fan and merchandise attention until something jump started it around then as well... What could it have been? What could have possibly happened in 1977 such that by early 78 every toy maker was making space toys as fast as they could, and went on doing so for years?

Yeah Lego knew exactly what they were capitalizing on, and they fully realized that the child was making "pewpewpew!" Sounds whenever they picked up their peaceful space explorer sets. The folks at Lego have never been fools about this sort of thing.

Edited May 21, 2014 by Faefrost

[Artanis I]

Yeah Lego knew exactly what they were capitalizing on, and they fully realized that the child was making "pewpewpew!" Sounds whenever they picked up their peaceful space explorer sets. The folks at Lego have never been fools about this sort of thing.

In space no one can hear you pewpewpew...

[___]

Hey guys I guess you all got it somewhat wrong: question is not what LEGO wanted/meant or if their antenas and stuff were meant to be guns or whatever - there is too much useless philosophical rhetoric here (children and especially young boys will make pewpewpew of everything when they are playing, if you ever see one playing in your life, cmon ) - who cares, but no matter what they thought and why the real actual point is that the old CS SETS DESIGNS WERE VISUALLY NOT THAT BULKY, BRUTAL AND MILITARISTIC as todays sets are, end of discussion...that's it, my friends

Keep in mind that in the earlier days of the Russian space program, cosmonauts wore orange spacesuits, and red was the closest color to that which LEGO was using for minifigures at the time. This could possibly have inspired the decision to use red to represent the "bad" spacemen. In any case, you're right that the LEGO Group wasn't requiring kids to play with the figures any particular way, but I think Jens Nygaard Knudsen is probably the most authoritative subject on how the designers themselves envisioned the sets and characters.

As Jens Nygaard Knudsen states in the same interview (this time specifically regarding the black classic spacemen, who were imagined as warriors), "...we were not allowed to make a big deal of this. We were not allowed to make war." This is the reason why no explicit conflict appears on packaging or in marketing materials for the Classic Space sets.

Considering that a lot of the "antennas" and "sensor arrays" in classic space sets were meant by the designers to represent guns, I don't think nearly as much has changed as people think (except, perhaps, that LEGO designers are now much more honest about it). From the same Brickjournal issue 6 interview I mentioned in this post:

Of course, if you want you can do the same thing he and the other designers did in the 70s and 80s and pretend that all those gun-looking things are actually futuristic antennas and sensor arrays... even if many of the weapons more obviously resemble guns and missiles today, you are still free to imagine them however you like.

Please, can you give us all link to that actual interview? I cannot find it anywhere...or did you mean normal paperprint? I hope not...

Edited May 21, 2014 by bublible

[Artanis I]

the old CS SETS DESIGNS WERE VISUALLY NOT THAT BULKY, BRUTAL AND MILITARISTIC as todays sets are

Interesting point. However, have you considered this: 1970s, 80s and even 90s sets across-the-board were a shadow of today's sets in terms of accuracy. Let's compare some early Legoland "Town" vehicles with modern Lego "City" vehicles.

Wow. The set designs are now much bulkier. Consider how realistic it is to have a real spaceship with such a flimsy design as the early sets. Not very. Over the years, new parts and resulting techniques allow more accurate models to be designed and built. Those old ships were mostly just plates & bricks stacked on top of each other, with studs almost always on top. Modern sets are nothing like that now, every medium or large vehicle or ship is chock full of various technic parts and others, and studs (if any) are facing all directions.

Now my personal opinion: Those ships looked awesome back then. Today they look like rubbish. (But nostalgia keeps them cool to me.) I thought the antennae etc were exactly that, I never considered them as guns. They didn't look like guns to me. I thought the space men were holding megaphones, video cameras & sensor equipment. (It never stopped me from inventing plenty of conflict, mind you! ) These days you can tell that they're supposed to be guns. But if you have imagination you can pretend that they aren't there, that instead it's some robust mechanical thing. Some sensor array that isn't as flimsy as what the old sets had.

Let's be honest, back then Classic Space was charming. But now: minus the nostalgia, it sucks . If such an old-school set like them was released today, only those filled with nostalgia for Classic Space would go anywhere near it. The minifigs are still cute though.

[Faefrost]

Hey guys I guess you all got it somewhat wrong: question is not what LEGO wanted/meant or if their antenas and stuff were meant to be guns or whatever - there is too much useless philosophical rhetoric here (children and especially young boys will make pewpewpew of everything when they are playing, if you ever see one playing in your life, cmon ) - who cares, but no matter what they thought and why the real actual point is that the old CS SETS DESIGNS WERE VISUALLY NOT THAT BULKY, BRUTAL AND MILITARISTIC as todays sets are, end of discussion...that's it, my friends

Brutal and Militaristic? Have you looked at just how many Mobile ICBM launchers Benny and his friends were toting around back in the day before they finally openly started arming the ships with lasers circa 1985? And the Galaxy Commander was about as much a peaceful exploration ship as a Soviet Fishing trawler circa 1984.

[___]

Still too much philosohping here, guys, don't you think?

New bricks or older, that is not the case...you can build airy builds with all the new stuff too cos AIRYNESS and HARD ABSTRACTION were some of the main concepts of old CS sets.

You like todays sets because they are more accurate to some real stuff BUT that is exactly what I do not like in todays sets - different ppl different tastes, and it's OK, BUT if we try to find out where is the main difference its in what I said before: todays designers try to make not toys where kid needs a lot of imagination but instead are trying to build something which if had real engine would fly to space, gee, I do not agree with this concept at all, that is.

Yea, those cars you are comparing is really like comparing rogallo with space shuttle BUT that first car nevermind its infantility looks to me like LEGO, not that second one.

@Artanis: what? I do not think old CS sets sucks today, gee where you got it from? are you like 20years old pr something? :laugh: ...well, maybe for you they are, but deffinitelly not for me, I like abstraction, airyness, build something with few bricks, not filling every empty space with some brick because in real space those empty spaces would kill astrounauts bla bla bla...what is this discussion good for really? I mean: it's much harder to build something abstract that should represent something than build set that looks so unbelievably real, that is my opinion on this.

@Faefrost OK now compare how looks those old militaristic things with those of today, for example those of Space Squad...I do not know how about you but those old looks like nonviolent happy toys although they are guns and rockets actually, but those of Squad OMG I would be affraid to walk close next to it in the night alone

P.S.: also all todays designs seem to me so similar to each other, oh! and it also means for most of the MOCs I saw, sorry

Edited May 22, 2014 by bublible

[Aanchir]

Please, can you give us all link to that actual interview? I cannot find it anywhere...or did you mean normal paperprint? I hope not...

I wasn't sure if it was available for free online. It turns out that there is a free "preview edition" of Brickjournal Volume 2, Issue 6 here, but it only includes the first two pages of the interview (pages 19 and 20 of the preview, pages 38 and 39 of the full version). You can purchase the full version digitally for just $4, which I would highly recommend to any Space fans — even just the six-page "classic space" interview and the eight pages of Space Police III behind-the-scenes interviews are enough to make it well worth the price!

[___]

I wasn't sure if it was available for free online. It turns out that there is a free "preview edition" of Brickjournal Volume 2, Issue 6 here, but it only includes the first two pages of the interview (pages 19 and 20 of the preview, pages 38 and 39 of the full version). You can purchase the full version digitally for just $4, which I would highly recommend to any Space fans — even just the six-page "classic space" interview and the eight pages of Space Police III behind-the-scenes interviews are enough to make it well worth the price!

Sounds great and I would buy it right away (if they accept bank transfer instead of card?), I am just somewhat lost in what is "volume 2, issue 6" (is that "THE" exact source you were citing from those interviews?) and where/how to purchase that digital version...

Edited May 23, 2014 by bublible

[Aanchir]

Sounds great and I would buy it right away (if they accept bank transfer instead of card?), I am just somewhat lost in what is "volume 2, issue 6" (is that "THE" exact source you were citing from those interviews?) and where/how to purchase that digital version...

Volume 2, Issue 6 is the exact source I was citing, yes, and that's the issue I linked to. The Classic Space interview can be found on pages 38–43.

You should be able to purchase a digital copy directly from the site I linked you to (scroll down to where it says "Which Format?" and select "DIGITAL only", then click "add to cart"). But it probably does require a card rather than a bank transfer when you go to check out.

[ETAV8R]

I just had a thought. I bet Alien Conquest would have taken off had the trans smoke pieces been trans yellow. The color scheme was already in play, all we needed would have been trans yellow.

[3mBuilder]

Space being my favorite theme in general, I would go nuts if we got revamped old sets, but I agree with our Ambassador, kids need conflict nowadays, which sucks big time.