I dare not say anything negative even in jest, I would be eviscerated for sure.

All of the yes.

One of the most legendary space set

I think you mean, "Random set of ALL TIME!"

"OF ALL TIME!"

Infinitely iconic. I do miss the longer transparent bricks and plates, they really tie the ship together imo.

Not a classic space fan, but I wouldn’t dare say anything bad about this! Absolute classic.

The US version of the iconic space set.

S-spaceship?

You can't call yourself a Classic Space fan without either wanting or owning this or 928. Objective fact.

I'll say something (Potentially) negative about it. The design styling is weird to me. I don't understand the excessive flatness around the fuselage. It's like they took the wing silhouette of the space shuttle and shifted it up the central fuselage, then back filled the now empty bit at the back, creating a very wide, thin flat bit around the main body.

10497 manages to adjust the proportions well enough to make it seem less jarring. Mostly by making the wings visibly thicker (Vertical) and sleeker (Width/length proportion).

Would I have cared if I received this as an 8 year old? (nearly 20 years after release.) No. I would have thought it was awesome, and had so much fun with it. Even now I would love to have one of these and play with it.
And I really can't fault it for being an amazing flagship set of the time.

A classic
Can't say I own this set, as it released 27 years before I was born, but I do own 10497 which is a great set based off this one, which makes me assume this one was also great

I wish I could have had this one when I was growing up, but considering I was born a generation later 10497 is more than enough for me!

When 10497 was released I had to get one for my then 8 year-old daughter. We did an unboxing video for YT and she said at first she hated the new design as ‘too modern.’ After building it however (we ignored the age rating on the box — it’s a recommended guideline after all), she was on the fence. Then I brought up this set for a side-by-side, and she converted: the new set was the winner by a slim margin.

For me the best part is the TV antenna. If I could have 100 of them, I would.

I really hope my parents still have my moon base plates *somewhere*. No idea where that would be, but I have such great memories of playing with them as a kid!

My initial reaction to the $2,500 value for a new copy is "someone could make a lot of money with only a $32 investment". But then I realized that's basically the same as the average stock market return in 44 years, so maybe I should just enjoy building my LEGO sets and not neglect my retirement account.

Only problem I see is that calling this set "random" is almost an insult. :-)

Seriously, though, I was fortunate enough to turn 10 in 1979 and got this set new as a gift. I still have it and put it back together a couple of years ago, and it now has pride of place in my classic space display. One of the best Lego sets ever made.

I think 10497 is a fantastic set, and on pure aesthetics and functionality it's clearly a major upgrade (of the ship only, of course). But 497/928 is unique and beautiful in its own way - and the landing and moon baseplates and small base keep it in a class of its own. If you had to pick one single set that represents all of Lego space, it would be 497/928, hands down.

I coveted this for many years and was lucky enough to receive 924 in ‘79 or ‘80. Then I was offered a bulk lot at a reasonable price at the beginning of this year with 928 and many of the other first wave space sets that I didn’t own.

It's the boy! It's here!

I'm still debating getting a couple more copies of the remake to build the smaller alt-models...

I found 2 copies of the landing pad in great condition for probably $8-$10 each at a local new-and-used Lego dealer in 2015, and I never realized they were this old! I actually figured they were supposed to be an old 90s Lego City helipad. They have made the BEST Lego Star Wars base plates since I acquired them, and have been a constant feature of my display shelf.

@Brickbuilder0937 said:
"My initial reaction to the $2,500 value for a new copy is "someone could make a lot of money with only a $32 investment". But then I realized that's basically the same as the average stock market return in 44 years, so maybe I should just enjoy building my LEGO sets and not neglect my retirement account."

So if I decide to spend $2500 on it today, do you think it’ll be worth $195,000 in 2067? Because if that’s what you’re saying then my wife would probably get mad at me if I don’t buy one.

Of course she has this silly idea that my Lego and video game collections are worth nothing because I’m never going to sell them.

I remember being so overwhelmed by the huge sea of grey plates in the first few steps of building - I was quite young at the time, but still, really makes you appreciate how they highlight the new pieces every step in modern instructions.

@tmtomh said:
"Only problem I see is that calling this set "random" is almost an insult. :-)

Seriously, though, I was fortunate enough to turn 10 in 1979 and got this set new as a gift. I still have it and put it back together a couple of years ago, and it now has pride of place in my classic space display. One of the best Lego sets ever made.

I think 10497 is a fantastic set, and on pure aesthetics and functionality it's clearly a major upgrade (of the ship only, of course). But 497/928 is unique and beautiful in its own way - and the landing and moon baseplates and small base keep it in a class of its own. If you had to pick one single set that represents all of Lego space, it would be 497/928, hands down."

I had to choose this or Kenner Millennium Falcon (which was $35) for Xmas. I went with SW. I've always felt like this was a love in another multiverse.

Of course, Lego won in the end by getting the SW license- and all my money since.

78-79 was a very difficult period for KFOL of the time. The space theme came up and it was all great (I managed to scoop up most of the smaller sets of the original wave) but then came another contender, just as mighty: Technic. I suppose I could have asked for this(497) but for little me, 853 was the stuff to get at the time. After I embraced the Technic lineage, It took no less than roughly 20 years before I bought a Lego set from another theme (Modulars and Star Wars UCS).

I got 10497 so I got my fix. I also got 40580 and apparently there is another one coming in Icons for 2024 (which I will get).

So glad they came out with the 10497 version, as I never had the opportunity (or the money) as a 7-year old, nor could I convince my parents to buy it for me at the time (they compromised with smaller sets and Kenner Star Wars). The updated version more than makes up for it, at a substantially reduced priced to a NIB original.

Here's a genuine Rocket Scientist's review of LEOG Classic Space sets, including Galaxy Explorer! I'm not qualified to criticise this most revered of sets, but he is! :)

https://youtu.be/39ZsxZ1ptFo?si=02kVnPArfMBGaiIW

The Legend itself graced us with its presence. I was born way after the Classic Space era, but I do enjoy basking in its glory.

What I find most remarkable about this set is its staying power. It remains not just iconic, but compelling. I do not think the same can be said for its contemporaries in other themes. 375 is iconic, but not a particularly good set versus the castles that came after. The Town sets of the era are nostalgic, but are neither iconic nor especially exciting. I can't even remember any of them aside from 600, famous only for containing the first minifigure. It was a lousy car.

But the Galaxy Explorer? Ah, it is different. Everybody remembers it. Although the styling is comparatively primitive, it's still so stylish it inspired an endless stream of imitations. But more importantly, it still says "Play with me!" You see that picture, and you just can't resist imagining swooshing it around, easing onto the landing pad, and driving the rover down the ramp to go exploring the craters. It's been 44 years, and it's still pure magic.

Is it the best Lego set ever? Yeah, it might just be.

The King has returned!

Yeah this is basically exactly how I thought the comments on this one would go XD

Iconic.

That said, not perfect. Space went on for two decades, and this was amongst the very first. So that's okay, and for a first foray they definitely struck the nail right on the head. It was a small step for space travel, but a giant leap for lego kind!

Let's not forget, this was one of lego's first themes ever! Before this, space was depicted in the occasional one-off sets with general parts. Now there were parts specifically developed fot Space, and all minifigures and the first wave had matching colors and designs. That on its own is a triumph!

After the Xth remake of this exact set and the proliferation of 1st year Classic Space and ONLY 1st year Classic Space in homages the last 10 years this set doesn't feel as great to me anymore. But that's okay. The designs were imaginative and unique for the time in lego, not to mention striking.

It's an undisputed icon of the then-new themed era of lego. It's a trial blazer. It's a triumph. It's the LL928

Never heard of this set. Is it new? Looks a bit blocky.

Yeah, this is basically one of the ones we all wanted, and never could get our hands on - although in fairness, I didn't graduate from Duplo into Lego until 1984 or so, and I'm not sure this was still on the shelf at that time. I'd seen it before though, and I sure did want it. And I surely would've choked on some of the parts.

Look at that price, isn't that adorable? Even adjusted for inflation, that would only come to $134.74 now. For the low, low price of one contemporary Liebherr, you could buy a fleet of Galaxy Explorers in 1979 (mm, and you'd have enough left for some delicious salty taffy, and we walked uphill to our toystores, both ways).

Bring back space-baseplates. Spaceplates! I don't care if it's in the new road-system or not, the people demand spaceplates!

Wow, nostalgia hits me hard at this moment. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent looking at it's tiny picture in the products catalog, dreaming about owning one. I finally got mine about couple of decades later, when my cousin stopped playing with his Lego. It's his loss...

@mediAFOL said:
" @AllenSmith said:
" 375 is iconic, but not a particularly good set versus the castles that came after.."

what is this i don't even"

He means 375-2 or 6075-2.

Spaceship! Spaceship!!! SPACESHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

You want a return of goats, well here's one for ya!!
I so desperately wanted this set as a child, but at least I have 10497 now

It took me quite a while to get my hands on a good one, but of course my collection of Classic Space wouldn't be complete without it.

Sometimes I wonder if Lego would have become the giant they are today if it weren't for sets like these. The space theme made the company legendary, that's for sure.

I spent my childhood playing with my few Classic Space sets. I could combine the parts into a nice bigger construction.
Now with the newer sets: Even with more parts it’s almost impossible (especially for kids) to combine the parts of multiple sets into a nice, bigger thing because there will be 30 different colors.

You just gotta appreciate how Lego built a time machine just to release a version of the 10497 decades before the real thing was made!

@Miyakan, while you sure have a point, keep in mind this set was released 2 years before the Space Shuttle was first launched!

One thing I always loved about Classic Space is how it required a firm level of suspension of disbelief, yet in context it all kinda makes sense. Nothing is explained, it's all up to your own imagination. Resulting is some of the most outlandish yet awesome and memorable sets Lego has ever made.

The first mini-figs to leave the City and never look back, a brave new world.

Looks great in any colour :) https://flic.kr/p/2oq8oLr

@michaels_afol said:
"Looks great in any colour :) https://flic.kr/p/2oq8oLr "

We Dutch are always easy to spot, even in outer space :-)

(would have been absolutely perfect if the yellow-black-yellow were replaced with red-white-blue)

Lovely stuff. A prized possession as a kid, but no idea what happened to it. Probably just given away when LEGO gave way to CDs. Big shame I don't still have it – both in terms of nostalgia, and because it would have been a better investment than all those CDs...(!)

I keep on trying to work out what my fascination for this set is based on. Of course it's the one everyone talks about, the first classic space flagship. And the design language is unique - who would've thought that the ship needed a wing at the front as well as the sides and back towards the rear? And there's the personal nostalgia - I never got this set. My brother did instead. I got the police station 381-2 - there's really no comparison (sorry Town fans).

But there's more to it than that. The Lego Movie scene where Benny gets to build his Spaceship Spaceship SPACESHIP captures that feeling of adventure and creativity perfectly. And it's still somewhat elusive to describe why it makes me feel like that. It's certainly fuelled my passion for science fiction ever since.

I suppose I just love it. Well done Lego, and well done RSOTD - you've made my Tuesday.

Actually, I'm not sure there's ANY set that could better this one for me for RSOTD. We'll see...

When I was 11 or so, I wanted 6927. Problem was, this was the end of the 1980s and it had been long retired. My mother saw a classified advert in the local newspaper for secondhand Lego space sets, enquired and 6927 was indeed available. Although I hadn't asked for them, 6929 and 928 were also offered, and she bought those too, wrapping them up for Christmas Day that year. I am now glad she did of course, and I am fortunate enough to still have them.

Ahem... $2,500?!?

For that, you'd have to have...

1 Check all four chinstraps are thin AND unbroken.
2 part 3144 Antenna is included, and not bent/broken
3 parts 3839a are the correct 'flat' version, not the later 'low slung'
4 Box and instructions are original
5 plastic parts tray inside the box is included, and undamaged.
6 Yellow transparents are unscratched
7 no 'bley' replacements for 'grey' parts.
8 printed parts retain their full prints

... and there's aren't many examples that meet all those checks, sadly.

@Targellian said:
"Ahem... $2,500?!?

For that, you'd have to have...

1 Check all four chinstraps are thin AND unbroken.
2 part 3144 Antenna is included, and not bent/broken
3 parts 3839a are the correct 'flat' version, not the later 'low slung'
4 Box and instructions are original
5 plastic parts tray inside the box is included, and undamaged.
6 Yellow transparents are unscratched
7 no 'bley' replacements for 'grey' parts.
8 printed parts retain their full prints

... and there's aren't many examples that meet all those checks, sadly."

I think to be fair it's not the case that you'd have to shell out 2500 bucks for a used one.

Easily the greatest “Random Set of the Day” there ever could be! :-)

I received 928 as a Christmas present when I was 10. Very fond memories of that set. Wish I knew what happened to it. After some initial hesitation (nostalgia not being what it used to be) I bought 10497, which is a wonderful update to a truly classic set.

Still amazed I found a more or less complete 928 in a $40 bin of random pieces.

When Lego released the 90th anniversary set based on this I was sorely tempted because I loved this set as a kid. Then I thought, why spend £90 on some fake nostalgia when I can have some real nostalgia for free? I went to my parents' house and hunted high and low until I found my old box of Lego, downloaded the instructions and rebuilt the original! I had every last brick and have since found the instructions too. It's now sitting on display with all my newer sets.

While I was at it, I also rebuilt the classic yellow castle (also every bit found), the 918 Space Transport, 6950 Mobile Rocket Transport, 383 Knight's Joust, 6010 Supply Wagon, 6022 Horse Cart, 6030 Catapult and my very first ever Lego set - 770 Rescue Set.

In fact, the only bits missing from any of them was a red hair piece from the Joust and a black helmet from the catapult! I was quite impressed with how meticulous my younger self was in looking after everything - there are bits missing from the sets my kids have bought in the last year!

My parents couldn't afford this back in 1979. That said, I remember shaking when I opened 918. It still remains the greatest birthday present I've ever got because it was the present I thought we could never afford, yet as a child, in your dreams you wished it could come true. When I came out of my dark ages, thanks to my 5 year old daughter and a trip to a local Lego show, I made that childhood wish come true and purchased a 928 from the States. I've upgraded it multiple times with better quality peices and pristine spacemen from 10497. Hoping for grand children one day so I can share my joy of playing Classic Space!

The classic. I'm more a fan of 6929, but 497/928 is still the most iconic, can't deny it.

And 10497 is such an spectacular set that I built remakes of 6929, 6891 and 6872 in the style of it.

A truly legendary set, and as a kid I would have sold my sister for one.

10497 is a worthy tribute

@Pitmonster said:
"A truly legendary set, and as a kid I would have sold my sister for one."
As a kid, they could have my little brother in exchange for a polybag, had those existed back in those days....

Oh, my. What can I add that hasn’t already been said? There’s a reason this set is on the cover of the book Great LEGO Sets: A Visual History. This is arguably the classic set’s classic set, the one even other classic sets look up to as perhaps the greatest among them.

I was just the right age for this, and wanted one *so* badly. And today I want it even more.