Lego Space

Lego Space theme featuring astronauts and spaceships. It was introduced in 1978. Space was one of the most expansive themes in Lego history, and contained over 200 individual sets. It was marketed under the "Legoland" banner until 1991. The name was changed to "Lego System" in 1992, but was dropped after 1999.

Classic Space (1978-1987)

The first Lego Space sets were a leap forward in Lego design. Classic space next to the castle and pirate lines is one of the most beloved and memerable of legos products. Compared to the Lego Company's previous releases of spacecraft sets [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/801_3 Space Rocket] (year unknown, probably 1950s) [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/358 Rocket Base] (1973) and [http://peeron.com/inv/sets/565-1 Moon Landing] (1975) this new theme of sets boasted new parts and building techniques previously unseen. Although plenty of basic bricks were used, there were now parts with finer detail used in smoother-looking ships and multi-purpose vehicles.

Despite curiosities and oddities such as steering wheels used to direct spacecraft, and often no inflight pilot protection other than a spacesuit, simple new constructs sparked builders' imaginations. Starting with spaceships and basic wheeled vehicles, the theme developed, occasionally mirroring science fiction designs. As Lego Space expanded, the basic pattern of ground-buggies, walking robots, small and large spaceships, and bases emerged.

Early Space sets had a simplistically modern yet colorful charm unrivaled by any other mass-produced science-fiction toy of the time. Many of the theme's more specialized pieces had yet to be developed, although when Space was first introduced, many parts were new, or were older parts made in new colors. Examples of these early simple sets include: [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/462_1 Rocket Launcher] (1978), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/442_1 Space Shuttle] , and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/452_1 Mobile Tracking Station] (both 1979).

Perfectly suited for utilitarian Lego Space, gray had finally become a major color for a Lego theme, especially as more plate-type parts were made in that color. Most often, gray Space sets were paired with green windows. The other predominant colors were blue with yellow windows. With the introduction of the [http://peeron.com/inv/sets/6929-1 Starfleet Voyager] in 1981, classic spaceships began to appear in white, with blue canopies.

Popular spaceships and vehicles from the Classic Space era include: [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/497 Galaxy Explorer] (1979), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6929 Starfleet Voyager] (1980), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6950 Mobile Rocket Transport] (1982), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6980 Galaxy Commander] (1983), and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6985 Cosmic Fleet Voyager] (1986).

The major surface bases were: [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/493_1 Space Command Center] (1978), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/483_1 Alpha-1 Rocket Base] (1979), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6970 Beta-1 Command Base] (1980), [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6971 Intergalactic Command Base] (1984), and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6972 Polaris-I Space Lab] (1987).

Baseplates from this era: [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/?q=306_1&v=z Space Landing Plates] (1979), and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/?q=305_1&v=z Crater Plates] (1979)

Blacktron (1987-1988)

The first unified and truly "themed" Space sets, Blacktron took to the stars in black with yellow trim, and red and yellow transparent pieces. (The odd man out was the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1875 Meteor Monitor] , which was white and black with red transparents.) Blacktron minifigures (or "minifigs" for short) wore black jumpsuits akin to today's military pilots, with white trim and opaque black visors. Stylish, sleek and intimidating, Blacktron was a major step up from the rather clunky design values of Classic Space. It featured a large spacecraft, the "Renegade," which set the tone for all future big ships by splitting into a number of smaller modules, including a storage bin for a small wheeled vehicle; these modules could be recombined not just with each other, but with modules from "other" vehicles in the set as well, specifically the "Invader" and "Battrax." This modular interchangeability has been a staple of Lego Space ever since.

Popular Blacktron vehicles include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6954 Renegade] , [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6894 Invader] , [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6941 Battrax] (all 1987) and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6876 Alienator] (1988). The base was [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6987 Message Intercept Base] (1988).

For clarification, Blacktron is often referred to as Blacktron I, as Lego released Blacktron II in 1991. Though Blacktron officially ended in 1988, the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1875 Meteor Monitor] (1990) was released. Considering Blacktron II's slightly altered color scheme it could be viewed as being from between the "upgrade" era of Blacktron to Blacktron II.

M:Tron (1990–1991)

In an effort to increase interactivity, Lego introduced magnets in the next Space theme, M:Tron, who took over the "civilian" role of the Futuron race. Vehicles in this set, distinctive for their red hulls, gray trim and neon-green canopies, are devoted primarily to mining out precious ores. They often featured crane-like attachments with magnets for picking up small cargo and storage boxes. These boxes, unfortunately, were generally not interchangeable. The figures wore white pants, a red shirt with an "M" logo in the middle, and a black helmet with glowing green visor.

Popular M:Tron vehicles include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6956 Stellar Recon Voyager] and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6989 Mega Core Magnetizer] (both 1990).

M:Tron was the first major Space theme that did not include a base of any kind; all sets were vehicles. M:Tron was also the last space theme to carry the "Legoland" banner. "Lego System" was the name used starting in 1992.

Unlike previous themed Space series, the M:Tron sets did not look like they were made for fighting, either for good or evil. Note also that the British names for sets, while not as flashy and extreme sounding as their American equivalents, give a clear picture of vehicles meant for rescue and research.

pace Police II (1992–1993)

Space Police was the next theme to receive a makeover, remodeled into black and grey with green canopies and red trim. The standardized jail cells were retained, though only three vehicles could accept them; the theme also lacked a permanent installation like Space Police I's [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6955 Space Lock-Up Isolation Base] (1989). It was the first Space set to replace the Lego standard smiley face minifig head with a more complex graphic (in this case, the face augmented by a fringe of hair and an ear-mounted microphone). Finally, Space Police II ships were known for being under-armed; several vehicles sported "no" overt weapons (such as the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6813 Galactic Chief] , whose epaulet-wearing pilot is armed with only a hand-held blaster that might actually be a bullhorn), and the others featured only two small cockpit-mounted weapons (including the theme's heavyweight multi-module spaceship, the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6984 Galactic Mediator] ).

Popular Space Police II vehicles include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6897 Rebel Hunter] and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6984 Galactic Mediator] (both 1992). Space Police II did not include any bases.

Though Space Police II officially ended in 1993, [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1916 Starion Patrol] (1993) was re-released as [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/3015 Space Police Car] in 1999.

pyrius (1994–1996)

Red and black, with blue cockpits, Spyrius homeworld appeared to be a craggy, desolate moon. The Spyrius took over the "bad guy" race space theme as a group of spies out to steal technology and valuable data. Official evidence of a Spyrius attack against Unitron is documented in this [http://peeron.com/catalogs/1994/medium/5/?id=46 1994 catalog picture] . Commercial clips also featured a high scale attack of Spyrius against the monorail.

This nine-set theme was the first to feature robot minifigures.

Popular Spyrius vehicles include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6835 Saucer Scout] and their largest starcraft the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6939 Saucer Centurion] (both 1994) (which, like the Unitron's "Star Hawk II", is smaller than the largest starships of other space races). The base was [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6959 Lunar Launch Site] (1994). The theme also included two robot vehicles, [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6889 Recon Robot] and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6949 Robo-Guardian] (both 1994).

Though Spyrius officially ended in 1996, [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/1954 Surveillance Scooter] (1995) was re-released as [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/3013 Space Jet] in 1999.

UFO (1997–1998)

UFO was the first Lego race to look alien instead of human. All of UFO's minifigures were cybernetic in nature, and the race featured two wholly robot figures (the red one was said to be "Andy Droid" Ann Droid's brother stolen from the Explorians), and, as befitting its name, many of its spaceships used saucers or half-saucers as elements. It has the smallest proportion of wheeled ground vehicles to ships (two to nine) of any Lego Space theme before or since. UFO was the first theme to introduce what has since become a staple of Lego System sets in general: large pieces meant to provide effects (such as curvature) that would be difficult to achieve with traditional Lego pieces.

Popular UFO Ships include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6915 Warp Wing Fighter] and their largest starship the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6979 Interstellar Starfighter] (both 1997). The UFO had no primary base however when the smaller saucer detached from the main hull of the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/6975 Alien Avenger] (1997) the bottom half was converted into a command center.

Mars Mission (2007-present)

Mars Mission is the second Space theme to feature both Humans and Aliens and is a reboot of Life On Mars. Unlike Life on Mars, the aliens and humans were pitted against each other as children had been fond of doing with the original line. The logo used by the human explorers is very similar to the one in Classic Space, Futuron, Space Police I and Ice Planet, suggesting they are all the same space agency. The sets typically have more aliens than humans, although many aliens in the sets are captured ones. The alien ships also have more weapons than the humans, with some having more than 15 laser weapons. The largest human ship is the [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7644 7644 MX-81 Hypersonic Operations Aircraft] ,also called the MX-81 Hypersonic Spacecraft, and the largest alien ship without a doubt is the mothership. Popular human vehicles include [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7692 7692 MX-71 Recon Dropship] and [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7697 7697 MT-51 Claw Tank Ambush] . The human base is [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7690 7690 MB-01 Eagle Command Base] (which uses a similar pump system to [http://guide.lugnet.com/set/7317 7317 Aero Tube Hangar] ). The aliens have no normal base, but they do have a main starcraft, their mothership. The line was released in May 2007. There will be more space themed sets in years to come, although no specific dates or sets have been announced.