Like me, Branko is a long-standing fan of Space LEGO. Today, he looks at a set that is just a little different from the rest of this year’s space offerings…

Growing up with Space LEGO (not yet labelled Classic Space at this time) and a strong love for Science Fiction, especially of the space-faring kind, I was very excited about LEGO’s space-themed push this year. Many themes this year have some sets tagged with the ‘Space’ corner on the box, somehow tied to this central topic. Duplo is no different with 10422 3in1 Space Shuttle Adventure. The box contains 58 pieces and retails for AU$89.99/£59.99/US$59.99/€64.99, which is more than $1 per piece! Clearly, this set cannot be considered by such an ‘AFOL’ standard; we need to consider things a little differently.

What does Duplo offer to the Space realm? We will explore how this set can be enjoyed by older children; the ones who learned to read in a century that started with ’19’. How does it compare to half-sized LEGO (in comparison to Duplo), and why might you consider this set? We will also consider briefly if this set might be enjoyable by children of a new generation: the ones who are currently counting their age in single digits.