When the announcement of new 2015 LEGO® Space sets first got out we were really excited and when we finally got to see the pictures of the official sets we were super excited that the flagship of the sets was going to be modeled after the classic Orbiter space vehicle used in NASA space missions.
LEGO® SPACE THEME
In terms of the LEGO® Universe of Space sets there were previous Orbiter class space vehicles released in 2011, such as the LEGO® Shuttle Expedition 10231 which was more of an Expert set with detailed engines, retractable landing gears and had a total height of 17.5" and looked like a great display set. In that same year LEGO® additionally released CITY Space sets as well featuring another Orbiter class vehicle called the Space Shuttle 3367 and a flagship set called the Space Centre 3368, so we were really happy that LEGO® decided to refresh the CITY Space line with new sets.
LEGO® CITY SPACEPORT 60080
The concept of Space Exploration and Discovery is always an exciting proposition for kids and today our aspiration for space exploration is being reinvigorated with the rise of privatized space research and even the likes of Google funding our worlds first Space Race with Google Lunar xPRIZE.So in 2015 with LEGO® we not only saw the Spaceport 60080's release but other CITY Space sets such as the Training Jet Transporter 60079, Utility Shuttle 60078 and Space Starter 60077 which when all put together could make a pretty super awesome Space Center. But for now let's just talk about the 60080.
The LEGO® CITY Spaceport 60080 is a 586 piece set, and from what I've read out there a pretty expensive set for the number of pieces you get. As I have mentioned before I don't really look at price per piece; I look at the concept and it's playability for our kids. With the 60080 you get quite a list of stuff, let's see:
- 5 minifigures
- A Space Shuttle
- Mobile Launchpad
- Satellite
- Countdown Display
- Antenna
- A Service Vehicle
So with the list above there's quite a bit to keep kids busy.
ADVERTISMENT
THE 60080 CREW
Provided with a total of 5 minifigures in the set one gets a pretty able crew. 2 Service Personnel; one to man the on ground Service Vehicle and the other for the Mobile Launchpad. You then get 2 Astronauts each with Space and spare Ground Helmets and a Scientist which comes with a unique printed blueprint tile of the Space Shuttle schematics, nice.
THE SERVICE VEHICLE
While LEGO® has labelled this vehicle as a Service Vehicle it actually acts as an Astronaut Transfer Van, which essentially transport Astronauts from operations & checkout buildings to the launch pad at Space Centers. So I guess one could call this a Light Astronaut Transport Vehicle. (Now I know why LEGO® decided to just call it a Service Vehicle.)
Terminology aside the Service Vehicle is a nice little 8 stud wide vehicle build and seats 3 minfigures comfortably including the Service Personnel Driver. If you transport one Astronaut at a time the Scientist can go for a ride to catch up on last minute briefings. Another nice feature of the the Service Vehicle is the available 2 holders for the spare on ground helmets, the Space Helmets fits quite snug as well.
ANTENNA & COUNTDOWN DISPLAY
The 60080 set includes 2 additional small and basic accessories of an Antenna and a Countdown Display, to be honest these are just nominal accessories with nothing much to them. It's just to help create an overall Space Center environment but they're so basic you barely notice them. Even the Countdown Display from 2012's Space Center 3368 showed more effort on build and design; that being said we can't compare because the 3368 came with a nice baseplate and was designed to be a Launch Complex instead of a Mobile Launchpad we are getting this time.
ADVERTISMENT
THE SHUTTLE & LAUNCHPAD
Now let's get into the main prize of the set and that the Space Shuttle and Mobile Launch Pad. In it's docked state we get a rather tall structure of awesomeness, with the space shuttle, rocket booster and fuel tanks all in the entire structure just called out 'PLAY'. My kids immediately wanted to open everything up, and it was fun to watch them explore all the hidden surprises within.
With it's height and size the 60080 does take up space but if you're a LEGO® parent who already owns modulars as well this should fit nicely in your storage with other modulars.
The Shuttle can be removed easily and I must say it's quite stable when placed on the Mobile Launch Pad.
The Mobile Launch Pad
Real world Space Shuttles with their Rocket Boosters and Fuel Tanks can weigh tons so NASA utilises two-story structures called Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) where the Shuttles are assembled; the MLP's then get placed on a Crawler-Transporter to move the shuttles to the designated launch areas. To handle the intense weight NASA Crawler-Transporters are build with Crawler Threads like a gigantic tank so it was cool to see LEGO® take all that complicated engineering and simplify it CITY style.
Simple & sturdy the 60080 Mobile Launch Pad uses 8 slightly larger type LEGO® wheels with Technic® pins and while it would have been cool to see the use of link-treads like those found in the LEGO® CITY Bulldozer 60074 it's still a nice build as my son always enjoys the wheel assembly of our LEGO® builds.
To keep the Space Shuttle vertical and in it's pre-launch state the Mobile Launch Pad is fitted with two rectangular 1x6x5 and one triangular 1x6x10 girder support parts, each held securely with 1x2 Notched Technic® Axels.
The design of the launch pad includes a driver cabin which fits the Service Personnel minifigure and his important LEGO® coffee mug, gotta stay sharp at the wheel.
ADVERTISMENT
SPACE SHUTTLE, ROCKET BOOSTER & FUEL TANKS
Finally the Space Shuttle Orbiter and it's matching Booster and Tanks, and really this is as iconic as it gets in terms of our history of space exploration. Just like the Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) the fifth and final operational shuttle built under NASA's Space Shuttle program, it sits up there with other classic and iconic space vehicles such as the Saturn V expendable rocket.
Since this part of the set uses a lot of larger LEGO® elements the build is not necessarily very complicated but it does utilise various long Technic® axles to keep all the large cylindrical pieces together.
Overall it has a very nice, realistic and classic look to it. It would be awesome to hang this up in a kids room for decoration but that would just collect dust as we know it. Just by looking at it from it's side sparks imagination of firing thrusters.
What's nice is the ability to remove the Shuttle from the Rocket Booster and Fuel Tanks, the same could be done to the Boosters and Fuel Tanks too. All held by Technic® pins again they can be removed to simulate the process of entry to space.
The only thing I'd mention is that the Technic® pins that hold the shuttle and booster together work very well so kids have trouble splitting them up, and when they do succeed the force generated to separate them usually breaks up the mid cylindrical sections of the fuel tanks and rocket booster even with the three Technic® axles holding it together inside. No biggie as I always say to my son "Don't worry it's LEGO, you can always put it back together."
THE SPACE SHUTTLE 60080
As mentioned modeled after NASA's classic Space Shuttle orbiter the 60080 Space Shuttle is probably the most accurate from what I've seen so far CITY wise of course. The reason why I say this is because if you look back at all the LEGO® Space Shuttles released the Forward Fuselage never looked right. So it was nice to see a new Front Plane part released to go with the new 60080 which somehow had the right balance of windows and size. What was especially nice to see was the better use of parts and finishing of the payload bay doors which is definitely a welcomed improvement from LEGO® 2011's Space Shuttle 3367.
In general the 60080 is a relatively simple and quick build as it uses about 10 large parts such as the Front Plane Part, Rudder, 6 Curved Walls for payload bay doors and 2 white opaque Windscreen elements for the orbital maneuvering system. With all this put together it was no doubt easy to mimic the original orbiter design as seen below.
 |
| Source: brighthub.com |
What's additionally nice about the Shuttle is the look of the main engines, via a combination build of cone parts, transparent round 1x1 stud plates and Technic® pins it does a nice job of simulating firing engines.
ADVERTISMENT
CONCLUSION
Overall the 2015 LEGO® Spaceport 60080 is a nice big set for kids and even adult fans who don't mind collecting classic themed CITY sets. Science is always welcomed at home with the kids for us I really enjoyed building this with and for my son only to be able to explain the whole concept of space exploration and details about these classic space vehicles.
It was good to see LEGO® bring back the Space theme and am glad to have found a worthy LEGO® set that sits nicely in my kids bedside so that the idea of learning and exploration is always there when he wakes up.
 |
| LEGO® CITY Spaceport 60080 |
Catch our Overview Video of the LEGO® CITY Spaceport 60080
LEGO® currently offers CITY Space Collection sets on their official Online LEGO® Store, feel free to check them out below:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments and Feedback on Articles and Builds are welcomed.
Tobysan