In which a long weekend craft project gets a little out of hand…

Its allegedly early Autumn here in Melbourne. We just had a long weekend. Associated with three days in a row where the temerature was 38ºC /100 F. So I set about a little craft project. I have found my attempts to review the last few LEGO Space have been stymied somewhat by the lack of space. In particular, the Command Rover and Lifting Crane, along with the Space Bace and Launchpad are both substantial sets.

If you have been following The Rambling Brick for a while, you will have clued into the fact that I enjoy using a bit of cardboard cutout scenery for themes such as Town, castle, Space… and even extending more recently to Ninjago and City.

This time, I am ready for something a little larger. So, for the public holiday, I took on a little project…

Inspired somewhat, by the photos in Tim Johnson’s ode to Classic Space demonstrating how things were done Back in the day, and indeed those old catalogues themselves, I headed out to try and make one of my own. I gathered up some A1 size(59.4cmx89.1cm; 23.4″x33.1″) paper and foam card, some old polystyrene from appliance packaging and some spray paint -Cadmium Yellow seemed to take me somewhere between Dark Tan and Dark Orange. I then braved the heat of an unseasonably warm March day, and set to work.

It turns out that spay paint probably works better on vertical rather than horizontal surfaces, with nearby plants being covered by a yellowish hue after an errant breeze struck. But is gave a nice, uneven finish – seeming right for a moonscape.

Next, I took to the polystyrene with a hot wire cutter. I had not used such a thing since a grade 4 art class back in the 70s, and I am delighted to now be able to do this whenever I should choose. It made it possible to shape the polystyrene with minimal mess, especially compared to using a knife.

I cut out some rocky outcrops, with room for the small brick built alien landscapes included in the recent City Space sets to be positioned. Once I had completed my initial terraforming, I took to the foam with some paint. I waited for the hot wind to die down and the paint to dry. At least one helped with the other.

I lay the yellowish-tannish card on the table, and set up the black foamboard in the grooves present on the table (Just the right size – what a fortunate coincidence!). I then positioned the new rockwork across the rear. It still looked a little stilted compared with the old days. Back in the day, the grids that filled the skies were practical effects.

I don’t feel compelled to create a reddish orange grid to fill the sky. Not today, anyway.

I had a chat with a few of my toy photography friends about what we had: @tonytulluch_tp and @spideygoeshygge gave me a couple of useful suggestions – one reminded me of the value of punching holes in the background so that any light behind it might shine through as star light.

I used a screw to start punching holes in the backdrop. I enlarged a few of the holes, and starlight trickled through. Which was fine during the day, but once the sun set, was a little disappointing in the absence of back lighting. Not to self… pick up some back lighting.

Further advice suggested that some light behind the rocks, pointing at the sky might give us a gentle upward fade from bright to black. Fortunately, I have some Ikea LED batons tucked away, so I untucked them and dropped them in place. After the sun went down, the effect was improved somewhat…

As for the final result? I’m pretty happy. especially once the sun fell low in the sky, and the lighting effect became more obvious.

I pulled out a couple of sets that I have been looking at lately, and gave them a run, both while the sun was still shinig, and again, once the sun had set, and a LED panel could be employed to provide a little focal lighting…

Now that I have had the chance to photograph these sets, I I looking forward to completing my reviews and bringing them to you shortly. There might be another couple of sets coming up that I have not yet revealed, too…

As much as I love this studio layout, I have some work to do at home before I can keep it set up full time. we will still see the carboard cutouts from time to time!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little interlude. I’d love to know if you have felt inspired to put a little too much effort into the back drop for photographing your LEGO sets – regardless of theme .Leave your comments, and links to online galleries, in the comments below.

If you have enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends, families and communities. You can also keep up to date with us by following The Rambling Brick on our socials: Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, Tumblr (or just sign up for our mailing list) and find some extra content on Instagram and TikTok.

We really value your feedback: please let us know what you think about the sets we review, and the articles we post. And if you wish to support the Rambling Brick, consider clicking on our affiliate links before going shopping at LEGO.com. The Rambling Brick receives a small commission, and it costs you nothing extra.

Until Next Time,

Play Well!

Or if you want the video summary…