The new City Space sets have a lot going on – between Mechs, Space Stations, ships heading out to the stars and purple crystals all around, there might be some form of narrative developing. But what if this is your first exposure to the ‘seek the resources, mine them and convert them into an energy source’ type of storyline? How do you know what’s going on?

There is one set that clearly tells the mining story in a single frame: the 4+ set 60429 Space Ship and Asteroid. It’s another $30AUD/$20USD set due for release on January 1, 2024.

If you opt to use the increasingly irrelevent metric ‘Price per part’, it lives up to the 4+ reputation : It has around half the pieces of the 60430 Interstellar Spaceship, for the same price. At the same time, this set contains so much of the underlying narrative in such a small package that its real value can never be said to be in doubt. Read on to find out why…

I initially put this set aside as a typical 4+ set: dismissing it as having little building value and limited play options, all the while being a thing that most kids with rudimentary brick building skills can put together. Then I took a closer look…

The Elements

The set has 126 pieces in a couple numbered bags, but still includes 2 mini figures: a pilot and scientist, as well as a lime green flower and printed dome used to create an alien.

There are 3 larger, unbagged elements: two 10×10 octagonal plates, as well as 12×12 wings and hull element. The colour palette is much as described with the other City Space series this year: Spaceships are black and white, with reddish orange,sand blue and crey trim. The 4x8x2 windscreen is different to all of the others seen in the City Space range, sharing only the new Transparent Black colour with them. All elements are printed: here we have a 2×4 curved slope element; a 1×1 tile with power marking; 2×2 tile with an updated classic space logo – from here on, I’ll just call it a space logo. We have a small, page sized, computer screen, as well as another larger screen. There are also a couple of computer prints on 2×2 slopes, as well as the jack-hammer and scanner/metal detector element.

The Minifigures

Here are our astronauts: the pilot wears a smilar helmet to that seen in 60430 Interstellar Spacecraft, with a full visor, but the helmet is Medium Azure, rather than Dark blue. Likewise his sleeves. The Scientist wears bright green helmet and sleeves. The scientist’s helmet has a traditional visor which can be raised upwards. This is the same helmet design seen on Aaron in NEXO Knights, albeit a different shade of Green. While this is coded as a female face (eye lashes, lipstick), the lipstick is such a light shade that you might not perceive that it is there. And I suspect in real life most space explorers, regardless of gender, are unlikely to put on lipstick before a hard day’s sciencing on an asteroid crawling with alien life.

The alien is a simple build: a printed dome on a flower. This is very similar to a print seen in the DUPLO space set (and the complexity gets bumped up another level in the sets aimed at older children.)

The Spaceship

In the first instance, we start work on the spacecraft. The wing plate works well to get the craft started, and further wedgeplates are added to the front. Some great compound slopes from the 90s are added both above and below to hold the’front end’ on.

A compartment is built up at the rear, with room for a cargo bin, and studs on the aft end of the craft. The cockpit is surrounded by slopes, although this does mean that there is an air leak once the canopy is installed. We craft the power pack that keeps recurring throughout the theme this year, and place a cone on the rear to serve as the rocket. The printed curved slopes are mounted on clips, and attached to the side of the main engine block, sand blue and reddish orange elements. Finally the Space logo tile covers the box, which might come in handy later.

The ship is quite satisfying to swoosh and, as you can see, is significantly smaller than the Interstellar Spacecraft: younger builders may well find this to be the more swooshable.

The Asteroid

The other half of the build reveal what an intriguing asteroid we have landed on. We put together some rocks filled with purple frosted crystals, and build a small crane to move them.

In the mean time, it is all happeneing over in the laboratory, A crystal sits on one end of the bench, and a power pack on the other. Inbetween the two is another 2×2 computer brick. Above this, we see a large transparent light blue panel which clearly communicates the fate of the crystals, and the key to the Explorers power supply. On the back wall of the lab, the scanner and jack hammer are left hanging around.

The build is quick and simple: expecially the Asteroid side of things. There is enough detail on the frame that just about anyone would be able to work our that the crystals are vital for the energy supply to the Space Fleet. And who knows… maybe all of human civilisation.

As with ofther 4+ sets, there are no stickers, and we will see most of these printed elements are reused through the theme.

The printed display in this set clearly explains why our explorers are keen to look the unobtainium: It provides the energy that is used in the power packs. Is this the LEGO equivalent of dilithium crystals? Hard to say. There are ample crystals included which can be hidden away inside the rocks, and moved around with the crane. 

Final thoughts

There is so much scope for play here: mining, transporting, scanning the alien. and swooshing. Dont forget the Swooshing. So. Much. Swooshing. This model is probably better for swooshing by little hands than the 60430. Its not quite as much fun for me, but thats OK. Not everything is about me. There is enough other joy to be had here.

What I liked: lots of scope for play of different types; storage compartment in the back of the rocket; swooshable for the young. Lots of spare crystals. Clear display explains what is going on, No Stickers, a variety of characters. I really appreciated the way in which the purpose for the gem hunting was explined simply and clearly!And the price point is right on!

There isn’t much I didn’t like: I’d have perhaps liked the chance to fit the second figure into the craft, but there would have been many compromises. Either in design or price. I give this set 4 out of 5 Arbitrary Praise Units

And then the depiction /motive of the alien. These creatures appear to be at a relatively early point in their development: functioning more as a dweller of the asteroid, content with its lot, rather than an advanced species hell-bent on world domination. This is the same alien design that is featured in the LEGO Friends set 42605Mars Space Base and Rocket , but is developed further in some of the sets aimed at older kids.

The set is officially on sale from January 1 2024 and will be available from LEGO.com for $AUD29.99; $USD19.99; €19.99$; CAD24.99; £17.99 [afilliate links]

I’d love to know what you think about this set. Has it got the right amount of action? Is it too simplified? Too complex for the 4+ crowd? Why don’t you let me know in the comments below.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

Bonus: Swoosh test.

Some parts of this set are more swooshable than others…