I love a good LEGO® Spaceship. I love looking at them. I love the stories behind them. I would love to enjoy building them, but my spaceship design skills appear to be trapped somewhere in the late 1970’s. As such, I was quite excited when No Starch Press told me that Jeff Friesen’s (aka jeff_works on Instagram) new book was going to offer 52 such models, with extra inspiration and parts lists, in his latest book, LEGO® Space projects. Due for release in June, to coincide with world Astronomy month, it is currently available for pre-order, with a 25% discount on the list price of $USD24.99 (print and ebook). The eBook’s list price is $USD19.99.

If you have followed Jeff on Instagram, you might have seen some of these ships online, along with great images of his Microscale Cities and Castles. I first saw his work when he was producing his fantastic Microscale Cities, which still evoke a sense of wonder to this day.

This book focuses on creating microscale spaceships in a variety of styles, and also provides plenty of inspiration for the budding spaceship designer.

After an inspirational discussion on the importance of the dream of space travel, he enters into a primer on spaceship design. He talks about the importance of greebling, the concepts of sleekness and retrofuturism, as well as how wings might not be necessary for interstellar travel, but that doesn’t mean they don’t serve a higher purpose within the design aesthetic.

He goes on to introduce his favorite bricks for spaceship design. So, what is the element that is up there with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens? The original movie camera brick 4595! The versatility of this SNOT brick, with a built in thruster cannot be denied. He introduces other SNOT bricks, Minifigure accessories, as well as ‘engine parts’, bars, clips, finishing off with wings and slope elements.

He talks about sourcing elements – both through BrickLink and pick-a-brick online – before ultimately entering into projects. The images are clear, as are the instructions. The text accompanying each model is light hearted, and sets you up with the idea that the Universe is not so horrible after all, continuing on with the hope and optimism of the original LEGOLAND Space theme from 1978-79.

With a combination of ships ranging from luxury yachts to deep space freighters to explorers and fighters, and more, I found the designs appealing, and the instructions clear and simple to follow. The models are, on the whole like to be able to be put together with elements at hand.

Friesen focuses on the story behind each ship, and the gentle humour will be sure to raise a smile, from the mission parameters, through to the standard crew complement and manufacturer’s name.

The book is available for preorder now, with delivery due in June. No Starch Press sent me an early PDF file, covers the first 72 out of 224 pages for review purposes, as such, I cannot speak for the entire contents, but what I have seen, I really like.

If you are interested in microscale spacecraft, either for the Neat Parts Usage, to create a small armada with the parts at hand, or you just love looking at beautifully rendered images of creatively designed LEGO models, you would be well advised to look at this book.

Is this the book you are looking for? Why not let me know in the comments below, and until next time,

Play Well.