Number: 21109
Theme: LEGO Ideas, unofficially Classic Space
Release Date: Reportedly August 1, 2014
Piece Count: 321
Minifig Count: 2
Age Rating: 12+
Cost: Reportedly $34.99 (US)
So far, the LEGO Cuusoo/Ideas platform has unleashed upon us a selection of 6 sets with one tenuously unifying theme - they are all based on a previously existing thing, be it a movie (Back to the Future, Ghostbusters), a video game (Minecraft) or a real-world scientific exploration craft (Shinkai 6500, Hayabusa, NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover).
With the seventh offering from this still-fledgling branch, we have a set that stands apart. While naturally influenced by the original Classic Space LEGO sets as well as the sci-fi genre in general, 21109 "Exo-Suit" is primarily born of the imagination of one man - Peter "Legoloverman" Reid. No rabid "outsider" fan base swooped down upon the LEGO Cuusoo site and crushed their servers under the might of their support, as is the case with many of the proposals based on intellectual property that required licensing. No, "Exo-Suit" took just a little over nine months, from March 28th, 2012 when it was submitted until January 9th, 2013, to steadily make the climb to 10,000 supporters, chiefly those from the AFOL community. It would take yet another year and a half to come to fruition as an official LEGO product.
Now that the release is imminent, The LEGO Group and the Community Engagement & Events team have seen fit to grant us at Toys N Bricks a sneak-preview copy to review for our community, so let's all thank them for the opportunity and get on with the review!
Packaging
The box is your standard fare tabbed, hinge-top box that we've come to expect from LEGO Cuusoo/Ideas, similar in style to Back to the Future DeLorean Time Machine, NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover and, most recently, Ghostbusters. I honestly can't speak for whether or not the others share the same box type, as I don't have them. Over-all, the box has a dark, midnight-blue tone to it.
The front artwork features the Exo-Suit itself, the M364 Turtle, and the additional minifgure on a desert moon setting next to some sort of craft or structure.
The back artwork features all the pieces that come in the box, including those displayed on the front, joined by the small 8x8 platform and two yellow barrels. I frankly prefer the back design to the front.
The side displays the Exo-Suit logo on the midnight-blue background with some stars.
The top features a 1:1 scale representation of one of the minifigures and the product origin specifications. Components are made in Denmark, Hungary, Mexico and Czech Republic, for those interested.
Parts, Bags and Instructions
There is one perfect-bound instruction booklet, four unnumbered bags, one loose Silver Metallic 19M Flexible Hose and one loose Dark Stone Gray 8x8 Grid Plate.
The instruction booklet cover feels less stiff than previous Cuusoo/Ideas sets, and bends under its own weight a lot more, though still a lot less than your standard staple-bound booklets found in most LEGO products.
The instruction booklet features a "Designer Spotlight" section about proposal creator Peter Reid and official set designer Mark Stafford. This is repeated in English, French, and Spanish translations.
Then there is a little narrative about the characters included in the set ("Pete" and "Yve"), their M364 Turtle, and the discovery of the Exo-Suit itself. This, too, is presented in English, French, and Spanish.
Notable pieces include, of course, the two green minifigure torsos emblazoned with the Classic Space logo, the accompanying airtanks (mine actually came with three, though I'm not certain this is standard), the four Medium Stone Gray minifigure heads (used for the legs of the Turtle), the 2x2 inverted tile with rocket exhaust printing, four Medium Stone Gray 2x2 inverted domes, one Silver Metallic 3x3 "Parabolic Reflector" Dish, and the two Metallic Silver 7-spoke Wheel Covers.
Minifigures
There are two minifigures, one grumpy-looking male (Pete) and one happy-looking female (Yve), wearing green spacesuits adorned with the Classic Space logo.
Compared to my two original Classic Spacemen, aside from their helmets/visors and Pete's grim look of determination/consternation, they fit right in!
Benny's ecstatic to have even more buddies to hang out with. Comparatively, Pete doesn't seem very happy to see him.
Build: Accessories
After the minifigures themselves, the instructions continue with Peter's signature M364 Turtle, built around the Silver Metallic 2x2 "Parabolic Ring" Plate.
It's not an overly-complicated build, but effective in its simplicity. It's also absolutely adorable, even when adorned with a pair of "defensive blasters".
After the Turtle, a quick little vignette featuring two yellow 2x2 barrels on the 8x8 Grid Plate lends an air of Sci-Fi-ness. It's good to note how simple it can be to build an effective background piece that looks "futuristic" enough for a Sci-Fi scene. with two barrels at three pieces each and a platform comprised of 13 pieces total.
Build: Main
With the ancillary pieces out of the way, it's onto the main event. The build starts with a solid foundation of bricks and plates in the torso.
Here you can see the trans-yellow that's smattered throughout the torso build.
Once this portion is complete, we have a solid base to build upon. Most of the techniques are relatively straight-forward studs-up design, but there are a few studs-out portions as well as the angled control panel.
From here on out, we build in pairs - first, we start to build up from the bottom, beginning with the feet. They are so intricate and cool-looking, they could easily double for micro spaceship builds themselves.
Making our way upward, the legs are primarily constructed out of Technic connectors and ball joints/receptacles upon which clips and pneumatic T-bars are strategically placed.
In all, each leg is built of three ball-jointed segments and a foot, with the top portion of each leg being more complex than the previous two.
The legs are now finished and adequately greebled. Each segment features some sort of adornment that effectively conveys the look of some sort of linear activator, though they are only each connected hanging by only one point.
You can also see the range of articulation in this comparison shot of one leg bent as much as possible, the other extended all the way.
We can now attach them to the torso that was previously built. Note I was actually missing one Technic half-bushing for the right leg.
Compared to the legs, the arms are a bit less complex and comprised of two segments each. Here, of course, we have the much-divisive 2x2 barrels. I, personally, am not bothered by them - in Dark Stone Gray they take on a much different quality than they do in Dark Reddish Brown, obviously. I'm actually more bothered by the 3M Technic connector used in the elbow, and find it a bit distracting in blue. It's easy enough to swap this out for black, which would be a lot less jarring.
Here you can see the full range of motion for the arms. The pneumatic T here is used as a 'stop' to make sure the arm isn't hyper-extended, but it unfortunately prevents the arm from extending fully straight. Not a huge deal, but it's a limitation in poseability.
We do not yet attach the hands, but add the arms as they are to the torso. Now the suit is really taking shape. We also add the greebles to the front of the shoulders. This assembly is particularly fragile. Somehow, the "3L Bar with clip" included in this copy of the set were particularly lacking in clutch power, and the color was slightly off, so be cautious.
The hands are constructed upon another pair of Metallic Silver 2x2 "Parabolic Ring" plates with five fingers each. The four 2x2 inverted domes are used as the wrist joints, hiding the 4M "lightsaber" bar in Brick Yellow inside.
Final product
Once the hands are finished, they are attached to the arms, the pilot is added and the rollcage attached. I realize I neglected to take pictures of the rollcage assembly, made out of a pair of "Friends" 90-degree handlebars at opposing angles between two 1x1 Metallic Silver cones, and a pair of "telescope" bars. The rollcage looks great, and appears far more functional than on the original, which would have decapitated its pilot had it toppled over. Is there no SPACE OSHA?
While the instructions have you place Pete in the suit, I've opted for Yve instead. Honestly tell me, if you had the opportunity to pilot a piece of machinery such as this, would your face look like Pete's or would you have an ecstatic smile on your face like Yve? I know my cheeks would hurt for days. Therefore, grumpy-puss has to man the walkie and hang out with the turtle, while Yve has all the fun. Maybe that's why he's so upset, because he hasn't gotten a turn yet?
Front:
Front 3/4:
Side:
Rear 3/4:
Rear:
Aside from the barrels in the arms, the one other complaint has been surrounding the pair of greebles sticking out of each shoulder. While I'm not particularly bothered by them, they do feel a bit stuck-on compared to other, more functional-looking greebles. It's easy enough to push them down towards the back, where they take on the appearance of smaller linear actuators for the shoulder joints.
The arm-span is impressive when fully open.
The Whole Package
All told, the 312 pieces form a cohesive whole - the Exo-Suit, the platform, the two figures and the M364 Turtle all look great together!
Size comparison
Comparatively, while the Curiosity Rover (with 295 pieces) is more stout, the more spindly Exo-Suit towers above it. They are pretty even in terms of mass.
"What are you doing here???"
Metalbeard and Yve can see eye-to-eye.
Ratings
Design: 8/10
While significantly different from the source material due to numerous restrictions that MOCs don't need to satisfy, the end result is not only a great-looking add-on to any Classic Space collection, but a faithful translation of the heart of the original.
Build: 7/10
Some fun techniques and inspirational greebling, particularly for Mech builders, but some of the pieces are quite fiddly and can have a tendency to fall off, particularly the pieces attached to the front of the shoulders.
Minifigures: 9/10
The only thing that would have made this better (aside from maybe honoring Pete's design with flesh-colored heads) would have been if the heads had reverse-side printing.
Playability: 8/10
There's a lot of stuff to play with here, but points get knocked off for fiddly greebles that can be knocked off pretty easily.
Parts: 8/10
Mostly standard fare, but the rare pieces here are really quite rare, most notably the 2x2 inverted domes which appear to be exclusive to this set thus far.
Price: 8/10
While the price isn't confirmed, the quoted price of $34.99 is in line with other sets of this size from Cuusoo/Ideas, though it's comprised of a lot of small pieces for greebling. It would be a great deal at $29.99, but it's a fine deal at $34.99.
Overall rating: 8/10
Let us know what you think!
