≡ Menu

LEGO City Space Exploration Sets Available!

by on June 29, 2019
in LEGO City

Just a quick reminder that the LEGO City Space exploration sets are now available. This is a fantastic selection of LEGO City sets, inspired by real space exploration, including vehicles, spacecrafts, research station, and more. Below is an overview of the sets in the new collection, and I have also included video-review by JANGBRiCKS, so you can see the sets in detail.

➡ #40345 LEGO CITY MARS EXPLORATION MINIFIG PACK: This small set includes two astronauts, two space technicians, a brick-built portable lab, and a bunch of accessories (including two of those fantastic new geodes in trans-green). This is a good starter pack for space exploration, or could be used as an add-on pack for the larger sets. 44 pieces. Price: $12.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60224 LEGO CITY SATELLITE SERVICE MISSION: This set features a NASA-inspired shuttle with opening cockpit, raising flaps on the wings, and space in the back for a satellite with opening solar panels. There is also an astronaut minifigure with what LEGO calls in the set description “Extra Vehicular Activity Suit”. A very important and noteworthy feature of all of the new LEGO City Space sets is that they are modular, and can be connected in many different ways. For example, this small shuttle can connect to some of the larger crafts in the other sets via LEGO Technic pins. Check the video-reviews below to see what I mean. Shuttle with flaps lowered measures over 1” (4cm) high, 5” (13cm) long and 6” (17cm) wide. 84 pieces. Price: $9.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60225 LEGO CITY ROVER TESTING DRIVE: Here, we get a fairly large rover with removable cockpit, articulated grappling arm, tilting, removable solar panel generator and large all-terrain wheels. Accessory elements include two of those new special geodes. The two included minifigs are an astronaut and a ground crew technician. Rover measures over 3” (9cm) high, 5” (14cm) long and 3” (9cm) wide. 202 pieces. Price: $29.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60226 LEGO CITY MARS RESEARCH SHUTTLE: Now we are looking at one of the bigger sets! It features a space research shuttle with opening cockpit, two large opening doors and space inside for the storage drone, plus a NASA-inspired Mars rover with articulated grappling arm, laser and tilting solar panels, storage drone with opening compartment, plus a helidrone with spinning rotor blade and scanner to read a secret symbol discovered on Mars. There are also two astronaut minifigs in different types of spacesuits. Lots of play value here, especially if you add the previously mentioned minifig pack to boost crew numbers. Research shuttle measures over 3” (9cm) high, 9” (23cm) long and 8” (21cm) wide. Mars rover measures over 1” (5cm) high, 2” (7cm) long and 2” (6cm) wide. 273 pieces. Price: $39.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60227 LEGO CITY LUNAR SPACE STATION: This set fully takes advantage of the modularity of the new LEGO City Space collection with three detachable modular compartments that can be customized and rearranged around and on the central airlock compartment. There’s a kitchen module with plants and a pizza oven, a living module for sleeping and training (with treadmill, anti-gravity bed, and TV screen), and a lab module with light-brick and a couple of the new geodes. There is also a detachable satellite and detachable shuttle with opening cockpit and storage space. The occupants are two astronauts, two crewmembers, plus a robot. The set can also be combined and expanded with some of the modular sections of the other LEGO City Space sets. As you will see in the video-review below the modular system works really well, although there is still room for improvement. For example, the central airlock compartment isn’t large enough to accommodate a minifigure, and only serves as a hub to attach the other modules. Still, it is a great system that allows kids and adult LEGO fans to arrange and rearrange their space stations just the way they like. I might also be tempted to purchase two of this set to make an even larger station… just saying. Shuttle measures over 1” (4cm) high, 4” (12cm) long and 4” (12cm) wide. Satellite measures over 1” (3cm) high, 1” (5cm) long and 6” (17cm) wide. Kitchen module measures over 2” (7cm) high, 5” (13cm) long and 3” (8cm) wide. Lab module measures over 2” (7cm) high, over 2” (7cm) long and 2” (6cm) wide. Living module measures over 2” (7cm) high, over 2” (7cm) long and 2” (6cm) wide. Central airlock compartment measures over 2” (7cm) high, over 4” (11cm) long and 6” (17cm) wide. 412 pieces. Price: $59.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60228 LEGO CITY DEEP SPACE ROCKET & LAUNCH CONTROL: This is another fantastic set in the collection with so much to see and play with! It includes a modular, multi-stage NASA-inspired rocket that can be customized in different ways with the booster, payload storage and cockpit modules, space telescope with folding solar panels and magnifying glass (this is so simple but cool!). The rocket launches from the launchpad with opening tower arms, and there is also a rover with articulated grappling arm, and a separate research area with geode retrieval training. The launch control tower features a detachable window section for easy access, foldout function for different layouts, and a super cool countdown function and animated function behind the displays (make sure you watch the video on this!). In addition to the already built in functions, you can also slide in your mobile phone as a screen for interactive play opportunities with the LEGO City Explorers app (which is also demonstrated in the video below). But that’s not all! There is also a track system with two stops and two cars that wraps around the whole compound. The included minifigs are two astronauts, two scientists, a launch director, and a ground crew technician, plus a robot. I can’t emphasize enough how cool this set is. Watch the video-review and be amazed! Rocket standing measures over 16” (42cm) high, 4” (11cm) wide and 2” (6cm) deep. Launch Control closed measures over 7” (18cm) high, 5” (13cm) wide and 5” (13cm) deep. Launchpad with closed tower arms measures over 9” (24cm) high, 4” (12cm) wide and 4” (12cm) deep. Monorail track measures over 3” (8cm) high,14” (36 cm) deep and 18” (47cm) wide. 837 pieces. Price: $99.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60229 LEGO CITY ROCKET ASSEMBLY & TRANSPORT: You might have thought the awesomeness stopped with the last set, but there is more! This is another huge set, featuring a large multi-stage rocket with opening cockpit module and rover payload module, large rocket transport crawler with opening cab, tracks, tilting rocket cradle support and launchpad, rover transport truck with articulated grappling arm and flatbed, and a rover with extending arm and drill bit. It also includes a rocket assembly frame building with crane, rover lab with opening door, raising platform and rotating arm tool, launch control room with rotating satellite dish, computer and rotating screen, plus a ground build with geodes, rock, and a light pole. The seven minifigs are two astronauts, two ground crew technicians, a launch director, scientist, and a lab mechanic, plus we also get a robot figure. Here also, the rocket is modular, so you can configure it in different ways and combine it with modules from the other sets. Rocket laying down measures over 3” (8cm) high, 16” (43cm) long and 5” (13cm) wide. Transport crawler measures over 4” (12cm) high, 11” (29cm) long and 5” (15cm) wide. Truck measures over 3” (8cm) high, 6” (17cm) long and 2” (6cm) wide. Assembly frame building measures over 8” (21cm) high, 11” (28cm) wide and 4” (12cm) deep. Rover lab measures over 4” (12cm) high, 7” (18cm) wide and 7” (19cm) deep. Launch control tower room measures over 4” (12cm) high, 5” (15cm) wide and 2” (6cm) deep. 1,055 pieces. Price: $149.99 – BUY HERE

➡ #60230 LEGO CITY SPACE RESEARCH PEOPLE PACK: If you want to boost the number of LEGO City Space minifigures in some of the other sets, here you can get a bunch of characters in different jobs relating to space travel and exploration. This set also features a spinning G-force astronaut training machine with two seats, treadmill, rocky ground scene, drone with spinning rotor, plant growing pod, robot stand, computer stand, a test rocket with stand, and a robot. The fourteen minifigs include seven astronauts, a reporter, a camera operator, personal trainer, a drone engineer, a rocket engineer, a mechanical engineer, and a botanist. There are also a large number of minifig accessories; some useful like the printed pieces and geodes, and some funny like the alien head on a stick. 209 pieces. Price: $39.99 – BUY HERE

All in all, this is probably the best LEGO Space collection we have gotten for a long time. The color-scheme is pleasing and cohesive, the minifigures are nicely detailed, and the modularity of the entire collection is excellent. There are a few negatives too, like that the white printing on the cockpit pieces doesn’t match the white of the rest of the elements, and that the interchangeable modules are sometimes not as modular as they could have been. But all in all this is an excellent collection that down the road could invoke the same nostalgia in today’s kids that the LEGO Classic Space sets did for the generation of kids growing up in the ’70s.

If you are interested to check them out, all the new LEGO City Space sets are available at the LEGO City section of the Online LEGO Shop.

Speaking about today’s kids, also note that several of the sets come with Instruction Plus instructions available in the LEGO Life app for smartphones and tablets (we talked about this a couple of days ago). The easy-to-use, intuitive digital building instructions let you zoom, rotate, and visualize the models as you build them. Instructions Plus is primarily meant for guiding younger builders through the building process, but it can be enjoyed by older LEGO fans as well. All you need is a smartphone and the free LEGO Life app to access Instructions Plus.

It’s also interesting that Playmobil just recently came out with a whole collection of space exploration sets in their own City line. It includes a large space station, rocket, launch site, space shuttle, research vehicle, rover, and several accessory sets. Although Playmobil is not a construction toy, their themes are very similar to LEGO themes, and the sets are usually modular to allow different configurations. In case of the space exploration sets, they come with removable and interchangeable modules and pods, and in some ways, I like them even better than LEGO’s own arrangements. Anyway, I know that many LEGO fans are also fond of Playmobil, so I thought to mention their new line. I’m including a couple of video-reviews below, so you can see what the Playmobil sets look like.

What do you think? How do you like the new LEGO City Space sets? Are you planning to get any of them? Or perhaps even collect the entire selection? Which one is your favorite set? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below!

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

{ 44 comments }

LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage Review

by on June 28, 2019
in Other LEGO Sets & Themes

We already talked about the new #75936 LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage set quite extensively already, including the designer-video, press-release, free instructions for custom vehicles, the related dino-building contest, and more (see links at the end of this post). Today, I thought it would be a good idea to look at the set itself in more detail, including the building experience, the different parts of the set, minifigures, instructions, etc.

➡ LEGO JURASSIC PARK: T. REX RAMPAGE PACKAGING: The #75936 LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage comes in an enormous box (about 5 x 19 x 23 inches and over 10 pounds). While on pictures the main box image looks a little off-scale and weird, in real life it looks extremely impressive. It really gives a sense of the massive size of the T. rex. The back of the box features the T. rex in a different pose, the gate from the back, and little scenes at the sides with the real characters from the film next to their minifigure version. It is all very well done.

The set comes with two large and heavy instruction booklets. This allows two people to build two different parts of the model. It also includes information about the film, the characters, and the LEGO designers working on the set. I’m very fond of this section as it is interesting and educational to both kids and adults.

➡ LEGO JURASSIC PARK: T. REX RAMPAGE CONTENT: The set basically consist of three sections; the T. rex, the Jurassic Park gate, and the minifigure display stand. LEGO designer Mark Stafford explained that these three sections are not in scale with each other. In other words, the T. rex is not the right size for either the gate or the minifigs, and the gate is not meant to be in scale with the minifigs or the T. rex. They are simply recreations of iconic scenes and characters from the film. Another feature that’s not in scale with each other or anything else in the set are the little vignettes at the back of the gate. Ignoring scale in favor of other features in an interesting concept that’s certainly worth exploring in our own LEGO building. Even though the sections are not in the same scale based on the movie, they do go well together. And the vignettes are hidden at the back so their scale is not bothersome.

➡ LEGO JURASSIC PARK: T. REX RAMPAGE MINIFIG DISPLAY: The display stand features a T. rex facts plate (achieved with a large sticker). It seems that a lot of people are unhappy that instead of the original Jurassic Park logo, the Jurassic World logo was used, but this was a decision by the IP holder LEGO couldn’t do anything about. The little vegetation (including a baby dino!) nicely frames the display stand. The six minifigures are John Hammond, Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler, Alan Grant, Ray Arnold, and Dennis Nedry. They are exceptionally well detailed with front and back printing, and dual-moulded legs and dual facial expressions for many of the characters. Ellie and Alan appeared previously, but the other four minifigs are exclusive to this set.

➡ LEGO JURASSIC PARK: T. REX RAMPAGE T. REX: The highlight of the set, of course, is the massive T. rex that measures over 8” (22cm) high, 27” (69cm) long, and 6” (17cm) wide. LEGO designer Mark Stafford talked extensively about how the design of the dino came about. Back in 2012, another LEGO designer, Mike Psiaki, built a giant dinosaur that was intended to be released in the LEGO Creator line at some point. Mark Stafford thought the dino would be perfect for the LEGO Jurassic World/Jurassic Park line, so he modified the original model to match the T. rex from the film. This included changing the colors, changing the shape of the head, and updating some of the parts and building techniques with newer options.

The T. rex has at least two very impressive features; stability and articulation. It’s actually pretty amazing to see such a large LEGO model standing on only two legs, completely stable, and fully posable. This was achieved primarily by focusing on making the ankles and hip joints especially secure and strong. As far as articulation the mouth, tongue, head, neck, arms, hips, legs, toes, and tail are all posable. The tail is especially fun to play with as it is made up of several segments.

The color-scheme of the T. rex isn’t really accurate to the movie, but it’s hard to recapture a mostly grayish/brownish creature with no distinct patterns and still make it interesting. Ultimately, I like the direction LEGO designers went with the more colorful arrangement of reddish-brown, dark-grown, and dark-tan pieces. However, I’m not so fond of the abrupt change to dark-gray legs, and that the small light-gray ball-joints in the arms stand out so prominently.

Mark Stafford shared that he completely redesigned the head several times to make it more movie accurate. I love those different size teeth, the tongue, and the yellow eyes (printed pieces). They are very effective and look good. Oh, and there is a frog inside the dino’s belly to represent the frog DNA referenced in the movie. Mark Stafford also shared that he originally wanted to include a goat in the T. rex’s stomach as well, but the goat mould LEGO used in the #7189 LEGO Castle Mill Village Raid sets got damaged.

➡ LEGO JURASSIC PARK: T. REX RAMPAGE GATE: The Jurassic Park gate is the second large build in the set, measuring over 16” (42cm) high, 18” (48cm) wide, and 5” (14cm) deep. The gate’s frame is beautifully done, accurately recreating the curves of the structure with sideways building techniques. The gate itself looks very accurate as well, using reddish-brown and dark-brown plates. The gate can be opened and closed with a mechanism hidden at the top of the frame. The Jurassic Park logo is achieved by three large stickers. The little flames around the frame and the colorful plants at the bottom are other nice details. Another excellent detail is the tire tracks in the mud.

At the back of the gate are seven detailed, brick-built scenes inspired by the movie. This includes a bunker with a buildable bed for Ian Malcolm, a power shed with Ellie Sattler (and Ray Arnold’s severed arm!), John Hammond’s dining room with lots of sweets, Ray Arnold’s control room with three computer screens, a toilet to represent lawyer Donald Gennaro (no minifig included), and a scene with Dennis Nedry with a buildable mudslide and shaving cream can. There is also another little scene at the top of the gate with a dinosaur next and two cracked eggs.

I have read LEGO fans debating about the usefulness of these vignettes. They are not visible when displaying the gate from the front, but they are a good way to put the minifigures from the display stand into action poses. I don’t think it’s a bad idea, as it adds some play features without taking away from the displayability of the set. Sort of like a hidden surprise.

Another thing LEGO fans are debating about is the lack of at least one Jurassic Park vehicle. Mark Stafford explained that this would have required a separate license from the car manufacturer, and this didn’t work out. Plus, since neither the T. rex nor the gate are minifig scale, throwing in a car would have made the collection even more confusing. However, this does not have to deter LEGO fans from making their own Jurassic Park vehicles, as we discussed the other day. In the video-review below, you can take a closer look at the set and all the details.

The star of the LEGO Jurassic Park: T. Rex Rampage set is clearly the dino. It’s an excellent build, and a great model for learning advanced building techniques related to stability and articulation. It also looks very impressive on display. I’m not entirely convinced that it wouldn’t have been better to keep the dino as a LEGO Creator set at a lower price, and do something else for a LEGO Jurassic World/Jurassic Park exclusive. However, it seems like Jurassic Park fans are happy with the set, so it may have been a good idea after all. If you are interested, you can find the set, along with a whole collection of regular LEGO Jurassic World/Jurassic Park sets at the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the new LEGO Jurassic Park set? Are you planning to get it? Or do you have it already? Feel free to share your thoughts and own reviews in the comment section below!

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

{ 12 comments }
Next Posts Previous Posts

Get in touch by email or social, or subscribe below!

SALES & OFFERS

LEGO SHOPS

When you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support!

LEGO EXCLUSIVES

POPULAR SETS

Free counters!

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. Copyright of theBrickBlogger.com. All Rights Reserved. Read our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy & Affiliate Disclosure.