(Written by William)

You might remember that last year, LEGO ran a fun contest titled Out of This World Space Builds. The grand prize winner and five runner-up winners received some awesome LEGO sets as rewards for their efforts, and the grand prize winner also got the opportunity to have their model turned into a future LEGO gift with purchase set.

Well, that future had finally arrived and the grand prize winning #40533 LEGO Ideas Cosmic Cardboard Adventures set will be available with purchases of $160 or more starting on May 16th at official LEGO stores and the Online LEGO Shop.

This is not the first time a gift with purchase set was the result of a LEGO Ideas contest. The #40335 LEGO Space Rocket Ride from 2019 and the #40448 LEGO Vintage Car from 2021 were selected in a similar way.

These fan-designed gift with purchase sets are always a delight. They blend a fresh take on a model thanks to the LEGO fan designer, and they are still a smart, yet simple model to enjoy thanks to LEGO’s development team. I just wish we could purchase them outright instead of having to make a larger purchase. However, they are definitely great sets to add to your collection! So, let’s take a closer look at Cosmic Cardboard Adventures!

As far as the characters, the star of the show is the child. My guess is that most will probably refer to this character as a little boy, as many of the toys displayed in the set are typically associated with male interests. However, there is no hairpiece included, only a helmet, so, from my perspective, this minifig could be a boy or a girl. This way, if you do share the set with a little one, they can feel connected to the minifigure. Also, note the printed torso featuring an awesome spaceship!

Traveling into space with our fearless adventurer is a cat. I have decided to name mine Lt. Kats Meow. It is the science officer in this journey. If left to its own devices, we’d all end up on a cheese planet hunting down moon mice.

Speaking of aliens, I thought at first that the green trophy pieces in the set represented little army men. However, if you take into consideration there is a paintbrush and a can of green paint, chances are they were painted green. Because everyone knows you’ll find little green men when you land on an alien planet! But wait, what’s that mechanical sound?

It’s a teddy bear in a mech suit! The untrained civilian may say it is armed with a hairdryer and a whisk and has two umbrellas on its back. But we know better! That is a laser gun and fiendish alien device in its mechanical grips. And those are no umbrellas, that’s a dual rocket pack.

A question that may pop up for you is whether the decorated elements are printed or stickered. Sadly, most of what you see in the set are stickers – ten in total. This includes the flag and controls of the ship, as well as the designs on the body of the ship. Printed elements include the minifig torso and the four cans at the back of the ship with the ViTA RUSH emblem. This same piece originally appeared in LEGO City sets. As for the minifigure’s head, it comes with dual printing. One side is smiling while the other side is scared. The cat and teddy bear has the usual printed details.

This set is aptly named Cosmic Cardboard Adventures. It has all the elements for a grand adventure in space. Plus, with the characters you get, there are a number of stories that could be told with this model. The small room segment is quite simple with a window, some stars, and a rocket mounted to the two walls. But I think that’s for the best.

The charm of seeing a child using their imagination has a draw all its own. I found myself entranced by picking out everyday items like the plungers on the side of the ship, only to correct myself and see them as the rocket engines they really are. It’s a rather unique building experience to put together something and discover that each of the elements can be two different things.

As mentioned above, like the previously released small LEGO Ideas sets, the #40533 LEGO Ideas Cosmic Cardboard Adventures is going to be available as a gift with purchase set at official LEGO stores and the Online LEGO Shop.

This is both a good and bad thing by my estimation. It’s good in that most people will have an opportunity to get it during the promotional period. This means it won’t be immediately sold out like so many other small yet interesting sets. On the other hand, the minimum purchase limit to receive the set is quite high and not something that everyone can afford. If you’re in a pinch or would like multiple copies, you can also check eBay or BrickLink to purchase the set directly.

What do you think? How do you like this new gift with purchase set originally designed by a LEGO fan? Are you planning to get it? Do you have the previously designed small LEGO Ideas gift with purchase sets? Feel free to share in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

• Vote for LEGO Space Gift with Purchase Set!
• May 2022 – New LEGO Sets & Promotions