[NOTE: Voting has now closed…]

A couple of weeks ago, we brought you news of the LEGO Ideas ‘Moments in Space’ contest: The goal is to design a set that would be appropriate for a gift with purchase, to be released next year, the 40th anniversary of the Global launch of the Classic Space theme.  Over one thousand entries have been submitted. It is now up to the public to vote for their favourite submissions.

The 25 submissions with the most votes will be reviewed by the judges, with the grand prize winner’s model being considered for development into a Gift With Purchase set by LEGO designers for release next year.

You can find a link to all of the entries HERE

Why am I mentioning this here? I don’t normally go in for discussion of LEGO Ideas submissions in progress.  In fact, I generally don’t even mention them until they are about to be released.

The Significance of Space

Classic space inspired the imagination of ten year old me to look towards a positive, cooperative future. In 2019 that will be forty years ago.  I will be turning… well you can do the maths! I think this is an important anniversary. Just as forty years of Technic was last year, 60 years of the Brick this year, 20 years of Mindstorms this year, 40 years of the minifigure this year (as well as classic Town and Castle Themes).

But with this contest, we have been asked to give an indication of what we would like to see done as part of the celebration, and I think this is an important example of the LEGO Group engaging with their fan base, on a topic about which many are particularly passionate.

This excited me enough to produce some submissions, based on Classic Space sets from 1979, and reimagine them with a contemporary parts palette, specifically that from NEXO Knights.  We have recently had news that NEXO Knights is ending its run with the current wave of sets.  I thought it appropriate to farewell this theme with a call back to my favourite era of LEGO Space sets. Let us refer to this as NEXO Classic Space…

NEXO Classic Space.

I am not an especially talented designer or builder, however I have submitted my take on the 891/442 Two Seater Space Scooter; 886 Moon Buggy and 889 Radar Truck.  The latter two were sets that we had about the house as we were growing up.

The Two Seater Space Scooter is, however, my favourite.  Conceptually, it is one of sets that led me down the Classic Space rabbit hole last year, when it appeared as part of the Classic Space DLC for LEGO Worlds: Here we have both Classic and Modern Space Explorers sharing a moment –  talking about their hopes and dreams; how things of changed over the years, and how they will change in years to come. With larger engines than the previous version, it can fly further and faster than the classic version, and with its yellow and black stripes you know there is a nod back to Classic Space.  And the model is, of course, extremely swooshable!

If you would care to vote for it, click here to be taken to the page.

While I would love to see Blue/Grey/Trans Yellow Classic Space reappear, it is not what I need.  LEGO Space inspired a generation raised during the Cold War to believe in an optimistic future, where people would work together to expand their knowledge and experience of the universe around us, striving towards a common goal. I would love to see a set which aspires to these values to be the one to win this competition.

I don’t need it to be mine.

My submissions can be found here:

• Two Seater Space Scooter
• Moon Buggy
• Radar Truck

While I have submitted these, that are part of a larger project, where I have been working to develop a reworking of that first series of LEGO Space sets from 1978-79 using the NEXO Knight’s parts palette. But more on that soon.

Have you submitted an entry in the Moments in Space contest? Why not share a link in the comments below.  And why not subscribe to the Rambling Brick: our publication schedule will been a little disrupted over the next few weeks, and I’d hate you to miss the next few posts.

Until next time,

Play Well.