Legos, anyone?

[danth]

So during all this Renegade talk, I actually built mine, finally, this past weekend. And my opinion hasn't changed.

I do have new appreciation for how they fit the hexagonal flag with the Blacktron symbol onto the nose. The curved wedge slopes on each fit perfectly against the flag, with zero gap. I still think the area under the flag needed to be built out more.

But really, there were no surprises or "you can do that?" moments in the build, like there were with the Galaxy Explorer. The main thing I remember is SO MUCH YELLOW. Also, the landing gear are not easy to get out.

[M'Kyuun]

6 hours ago, danth said:

So during all this Renegade talk, I actually built mine, finally, this past weekend. And my opinion hasn't changed.

I do have new appreciation for how they fit the hexagonal flag with the Blacktron symbol onto the nose. The curved wedge slopes on each fit perfectly against the flag, with zero gap. I still think the area under the flag needed to be built out more.

But really, there were no surprises or "you can do that?" moments in the build, like there were with the Galaxy Explorer. The main thing I remember is SO MUCH YELLOW. Also, the landing gear are not easy to get out.

The drop function was really the only 'wow' moment- it works great, but I wish Lee had put the trigger forward of the rover and made the back open like the original, as at least then you could land, drop, and still drive in and out of the ship. I also thought the way that flag fits up front was clever and smooth, another standout moment during the build. Beyond that, nothing else really had that 'wow' factor. The gear are indeed difficult to pry out of their alcoves and I wonder why he didn't choose to either make the pads smaller or the alcoves bigger so you can hook a finger around them easily. Overall, it's a bit underwhelming after building the Galaxy Explorer and the Space Cruiser alternate. Hopefully the next entry is closer to the GE in terms of, well, everything. 😄

[Chronocidal]

On that note though.. "next entry".. something 1st generation Space Police themed?  Please? 

Though being honest, I actually prefer the design of the second gen command ship, but I'd love to see a new take on the classic black and blue.

Edited April 2 by Chronocidal

[Scyla]

8 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

On that note though.. "next entry".. something 1st generation Space Police themed?  Please? 

Though being honest, I actually prefer the design of the second gen command ship, but I'd love to see a new take on the classic black and blue.

I yearn for a new Space Police 1 set too. I think the Mission Commander is a too big of a ship for a revamp.

However, my favorite Lego Set of all time, the SP Striker might be a bit too small.

 

What makes these sets so iconic too me are their elongated canopy glasses so Lego would have to make a new mold for it to capture their shape (and they did a bad job for the canopy of the Renegade too).

[M'Kyuun]

8 hours ago, Scyla said:

I yearn for a new Space Police 1 set too. I think the Mission Commander is a too big of a ship for a revamp.

However, my favorite Lego Set of all time, the SP Striker might be a bit too small.

 

What makes these sets so iconic too me are their elongated canopy glasses so Lego would have to make a new mold for it to capture their shape (and they did a bad job for the canopy of the Renegade too).

Actually, I think the SP-Striker, a set I've never owned, would be an excellent candidate for updating. Granted, any update would likely eschew the lighting functionality of the original, alas, but so far as the canopy goes, they'd likely use element 98878 which first appeared in Buzz Lightyear's XL-15 set.

Edited April 3 by M'Kyuun

[Chronocidal]

See, that would be the perfect canopy, but that's not an upscale.  That would just be a straight remodel, more like the previous Blacktron release.  I wouldn't say no to a redo of that design, but it's never been my favorite, since the layout looks weirdly unbalanced with the cell sticking out and nothing like visible propulsion. 

I'd almost prefer an original design in that theme, or maybe an update of the next smaller design down the series.

Again, kind of lacking in the propulsion department (which seems pretty common across that entire line, actually), but I love the overall profile, and would love to see an unscale of the overall layout.  The fold-out wings were always my favorite feature about it.

The thing about that original canopy though was that it was stackable.  I don't know how many uses that feature got, but it's part of what made the Space Police II design so striking.

[sh9000]

Cool.

[Bolt]

11 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Cool.

I like it ! Is the xenomorph not black because it's also a T-Rex?

[sh9000]

6 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I like it ! Is the xenomorph not black because it's also a T-Rex?

Yep.  Uses parts to make the Xenomorph and Facehugger.

[M'Kyuun]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:16 AM, Chronocidal said:

See, that would be the perfect canopy, but that's not an upscale.  That would just be a straight remodel, more like the previous Blacktron release.  I wouldn't say no to a redo of that design, but it's never been my favorite, since the layout looks weirdly unbalanced with the cell sticking out and nothing like visible propulsion. 

I'd almost prefer an original design in that theme, or maybe an update of the next smaller design down the series.

Again, kind of lacking in the propulsion department (which seems pretty common across that entire line, actually), but I love the overall profile, and would love to see an unscale of the overall layout.  The fold-out wings were always my favorite feature about it.

The thing about that original canopy though was that it was stackable.  I don't know how many uses that feature got, but it's part of what made the Space Police II design so striking.

This was the only Space Police I set I owned for decades until I finally got my hands on a second-hand copy of the Spy Trak I in my forties, a set I'd really wanted for all those years. I honestly never noted the lack of obvious powerplants on the SP sets, but that's an interesting observation. It makes me like them no less. Anyway, the Galactic Peace Keeper struck a chord with me as a kid due to its sleek styling and, always a fan of transformative features, I loved the pop-out winglets with their 'sensor arrays' 😉. Just a gorgeous little ship that still holds up today. Regarding that canopy, it debuted in 1989 in the Space Police sets and continued to feature in sets until 2002. Funny that we wouldn't get a modern analog for another twenty years with Buzz's XL-15. As to stacking, although it was obviously designed with that in mind, stacking only occurs in two sets out of the thirty-five in which it came. Both were Space Police II sets, the Galactic Mediator and the Solar Snooper, the latter of which I have.

[sh9000]

Chopper.

[sh9000]

K-2SO.

[M'Kyuun]

I'm just not a big fan of statues. I still prefer my Technic version of K-2SO as he was fairly-well executed and had better articulation than this. Admittedly, this gets his details and proportions far better and he could be modified to introduce the missing articulation. Moreover, it looks like a good parts pack for black elements.

[Tking22]

So 845 pieces, in these modern days that's what, $100? My cousin's kid loves K2 and has a birthday coming up, this thing looks perfect, but $100 for such a small set would be a bit of a bummer. 

[danth]

Space Baby!

[Chronocidal]

Just saw the new Slave I, might have to pick that one up since holy crap does it make the old UCS one look even more like garbage than it already did.  Just wow.  I hope the pieces exist in the proper colors to rebuild it in the OT scheme.

Might grab that and the Tie Interceptor this year.. maybe two Interceptors actually, so I can rebuild one as the standard model.

[sh9000]

Batman Forever Batmobile.

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

Batman Forever Batmobile.

Not really a fan of the Schumacher Bat machines aesthetics but from a strictly building POV, this thing looks absolutely amazing. It's not an easy design to pull off at this scale and I tip my hat to the designer(s). As a general Batman fan, and a long time LEGO fan who enjoys a good build, I look forward to picking up a copy.

I wonder if there's a light brick in there to give the innards their bluish glow?

[Tking22]

Yeah the Schumacher Bat-Mobiles were never really my thing, but that looks pretty damn good and I may have to bite. 

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, the style of that movie was weird, but I am absolutely on board for some fancy sets recreating it.

I would absolutely pick up a new UCS Batwing from that movie as well, since I think it would need to be that size before you could get the style replicated well.

[Scyla]

There was a sale going on for an EU shop for the May 4th Star Wars celebration so I bought Jabba’s Sail Barge.

Now the only thing I’m missing for my Lego Star Wars collection is an UCS Imperial Shuttle.

I greatly dislike the old UCS one (the color scheme and the cockpit; I also don’t like the wing construction but I don’t think you could do better at that scale) so I hope Lego revisits it in the future.

Oh, and while I have a Minifig scale B-Wing (75050) I think a bigger one in the style of the $100 X-Wing would be awesome.

[Chronocidal]

16 hours ago, Scyla said:

There was a sale going on for an EU shop for the May 4th Star Wars celebration so I bought Jabba’s Sail Barge.

Now the only thing I’m missing for my Lego Star Wars collection is an UCS Imperial Shuttle.

I greatly dislike the old UCS one (the color scheme and the cockpit; I also don’t like the wing construction but I don’t think you could do better at that scale) so I hope Lego revisits it in the future.

Oh, and while I have a Minifig scale B-Wing (75050) I think a bigger one in the style of the $100 X-Wing would be awesome.

There are absolutely a ton of ways to reconstruct the original UCS Imperial Shuttle that would be much more accurate to the original shape, and just more solid all around.  Embedding several layers of ratcheted hinges in the wing pivots would be a great way to start, since they have a much lower profile and would give better support than the old crankshaft design.  I've been waiting for them to get around to a redesign of that one for years.

[M'Kyuun]

8 hours ago, Scyla said:

There was a sale going on for an EU shop for the May 4th Star Wars celebration so I bought Jabba’s Sail Barge.

Now the only thing I’m missing for my Lego Star Wars collection is an UCS Imperial Shuttle.

I greatly dislike the old UCS one (the color scheme and the cockpit; I also don’t like the wing construction but I don’t think you could do better at that scale) so I hope Lego revisits it in the future.

Oh, and while I have a Minifig scale B-Wing (75050) I think a bigger one in the style of the $100 X-Wing would be awesome.

I'm passing, probably for the first time, on May the Fourth deals this year. Lack of space, the uncertain economy, and the uncertainty of my paycheck under the current administration (retired vet who depends on his retirement and disability to pay his bills) all conspire to make me hesitant to spend as freely as I once did.

That said, I'm in complete agreement regarding the UCS Imperial Shuttle; I didn't like the nose design of the original, nor the partsforming landing gear, nor the assymetrical wing deployment system of the UCS model. It's a ship that's in definite need of a redo utilizing all the advancements made since then. I've found a bit of solace in System set 75094, a really well-done take, but it's not without its inaccuracies either. 

I'm perfectly happy with my UCS B-Wing. I want a UCS or a new System take, preferably the latter for the sake of shelf space, of the Republic Shuttle, which featured heavily in The Bad Batch. It's way overdue an update. 

Some of the summer sets that I'm eyeballing right now are:

(All images copied from Brickset.com.)

This City bulldozer is gorgeous. City has been benefitting from some amazing construction sets over the last couple of years. Last year's large excavator is a brilliant set and this continues the trend with realistic looks and functions. Excited!

This heavy-duty tow truck set is a nice two-fer, as you not only get the eponymous tow truck, but also a nice dump truck as well. If I have one complaint, it's the orange coloration of the truck, but that's purely a subjective bias; I'm not particularly fond of orange. However, it's an apropos color for a vehicle such as this as it makes it more visible.

Train Station. for so many years, most City buildings have been relatively boilerplate and, well, kinda boring aesthetically. The Friends sets, OTOH, have become more visually impactful and I'm glad to see some of those cues creeping over to City buildings over the past two or three years. This train station really catches the eye for its pleasantly unorthodox aesthetics. That working elevator is a nice feature to boot.

City once again revisits the Arctic theme this year and its most exciting entry is this train set, a first. Beyond the Hogwarts Express, it's nice to see the Train theme expand beyond its usual cargo and passenger subthemes. this looks to have a base camp, a depot, a tracked vehicle that can be carried as cargo, a sharp looking locomotive with a snowplow, Johnny Thunder of the old Adventures Theme's fame (LEGO's answer to Indiana Jones before finally getting the IJ license), and other cool details and features. Sorely tempted to pick this one up- I just love the uniqueness of it and it just looks so well-done!

Continuing the Arctic Theme, this articulated truck is a really nice inclusion. my only issue with it is that so much of the interior is dedicated to living space, including a bathroom, the likes of which seems to find itself in more and more sets. I'd rather more of that space, especially the bathroom, went to laboratory features.  LEGO employed a great technique in the Friends' Space Rover by having the beds flip over to reveal work benches with scientific equipment and such. That would have worked great here, too, with such limited space. Missed opportunity. The only portion of that whole truck dedicated to science appears to be a small observatory attached to the cab. Better a little than nothing at all, I guess. Still, it's a pretty nice-looking truck with steering and working suspension in the rear. AFAIK, the adult wolves and cubs are new molds as well.

Ninjago can generally be counted on for giving a few neat vehicles and mecha sets. Some notables for this summer are:

A transforming mech that turns into

a very Hasbroishly terrible plane! But, it's a step in the right direction and for that, huge credit. I'll probably get this just because.

This vehicle has a very M.A.S.K. ish vibe that I dig.

And their mecha piece de la resistance for this year, The Fire Knight Mech. This seems to be part of a new Ninjago subtheme entitled Legends for larger, more complex models. There's also a dragon in the new theme. I might be down for that Fire knight Mech.

I'm also a fan of the Speed Champions sets and the ones piquing my interest are

the Lamborghini Revuelto and Huracan STO 

The Porche 911 GT3 RS. I spy some new nicely tapered elements forming those front fenders with the printed headlights. As well as employing some pleasantly unexpected and surprising parts usages in addition to generally being very clever and complex builds for their sizes, the SC line is responsible for introducing many new complex curved and angled parts for which I'm eternally grateful.

and the Bugatti Centodieci.

After all the F1 fervor for the first quarter of the year, for which I have no interest, I'm glad to see the Speed Champions line returning to form capturing sports cars and supercars. My hope is that they'll eventually branch into other genres, like anime. I'd love to see their take on the Mach 5 or the Asurada from Future GPX Cyber Formula.

As usual, LEGO doesn't disappoint with an eclectic and, on the whole, great-looking selection of sets across numerous themes as we move into the summer months. I lament my ever-decreasing lack of space with such a buffet of goodness laid before me. Alas, choices.

 

 

[Scyla]

@M'Kyuun that sad to hear. I hope everything will work out in the end.

I really like the design of the City train station. However, this seems like a set designed (either by accident or on purpose) to buy two or three copies to build a more substantial building that is not just a facade.

Other sets like that are the icons Great Pyramid or the 3in1 castle sets.

The Arctic sets look great I would loved to have those as a child. Makes me wished they would do an Ice Planet set in the Icons line (but this could be a Monkey’s paw situation).