Since the success of the first LEGO Movie, space-based LEGO toys have slowly been moving back into prominence.
Separate from the LEGO: Star Wars toys that are so prominent, the current generation of space LEGO spans realistic NASA tie-ins and LEGO City’s tentative steps into space exploration.
Suit up your minifigs and prepare for strange new worlds with these unique LEGO space sets for all ages.
1. LEGO Movie Benny’s Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP
Inspired by the “classic” space era of 1978-1987, Benny’s “SPACESHIP!!!” is based on the craft built in The LEGO Movie. Featuring Benny, Emmet, Wildstyle, and Astro Kitty, the craft features extendable wings and firing rockets and blasters.
Inside, there is a control room, and each wing features a detachable mini craft. This is the ultimate love letter to the 1980s space playsets, and increasingly rare, so buy this 940-piece kit soon.
2. LEGO City Mars Research Shuttle
A “top STEM toy for boys and girls” this 273-piece playset combines the realism of post-NASA exploration with fantasy elements. So, there’s a great space shuttle, an opening cargo bay, and two astronaut minifigs.
Accompanying these are a sci-fi Mars Rover with a geode grabber, a storage drone, and a “Helidrone”. This is a great space kit for younger builders and packs hours of fun into a relatively small box.
3. LEGO City Space Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
Combining two classic staples of 1980s LEGO—space and rail—this is an awesome build with a 16-inch high rocket. That alone is enough to recommend this 837-piece 2020 Toy of the Year winner, which also features a control center, six minifigs, and a “monorail”.
The legend “Inspired by NASA’s Space launch System” and the relationship between this kit and the Apollo program is clear.
4. LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V
If you’re looking for something more authentic, however, this NASA Apollo Saturn V build should be in your orbit. Built to 1:110 scale, the 39-inch high rocket features support struts and is in five detachable parts.
The three rocket sections detach from the Lunar rocket, which carries the Lunar lander to its destination. Two “nanofigures” (smaller than the classic minifigs) are also included, along with a splashdown “return to Earth” rocket.
Perhaps the best thing about this build, however, is the piece count: 1,969, celebrating the year of the first Moon landing.
5. LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander
If building the legendary rocket out of LEGO bricks wasn’t enough, this stunning kit brings achievement of the Eagle Lunar Lander into focus.
With two astronaut minifigures in NASA-detailed spacesuits, this 50 th anniversary kit has 1,087 pieces. Hidden inside are various elements of the original mission and it comes in three main pieces.
The module splits into two for the ascent and descent stages, along with the lunar surface display base.
6. LEGO Ideas International Space Station
Another stunning NASA-inspired kit is the 864-piece version of the International Space Station. Featuring two astronaut nanofigures, mini space shuttle, and three mini cargo spacecrafts, this is a great conversation piece.
Suitable for office display or as an educational point of reference, this 19-inch long ISS model also includes a stand.
7. LEGO City Space Lunar Space Station
The ISS build is too complicated for most younger LEGO builders, who should instead experience the Lunar Space Station.
Featuring two suited astronaut minifigs and two crew members, this space station also includes a docking shuttle and robot.
Various configurations of the main build can be constructed thanks to the modular design. Modules include a habitation, science, and command units.
8. LEGO City Rocket Assembly & Transport
Like the Deep Space Rocket, this playset features a launching NASA-inspired rocket. The difference here, however, is that the three-stage rocket rides on a mobile launcher.
Once in position, the assembly frame pivots up, readying the rocket for launch. Seven minifigs—including two astronauts—accompany the rocket, launcher transport, and command center.
This is a massive LEGO City kit with 1,055 pieces. If you know (big) kids who love space, rockets, and LEGO, this is ideal.
9. LEGO Ideas Women of NASA
Perhaps one of the most significant LEGO kits available, Women of NASA uses 231 bricks to inspire young women.
Featuring the minifig likenesses of Nancy Grace Roman, Margaret Hamilton, Sally Ride and Mae Jemison, each are mounted on their own plinths, highlighting their importance.
Margaret Hamilton has a stack of books representing Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) onboard flight software source code. Sally Ride and Mae Jemison are accompanied by the Space Shuttle Challenger, while Nancy Grace Roman appears alongside the Hubble Space Telescope.
This kit is a small but important step in highlighting the contribution of women to humankind’s journey to the stars.
LEGO Space: The Final Frontier
Everyone with a few pieces of LEGO has made a swooshing rocket at some point.
LEGO’s space-based kits have changed with the times. Beyond the classic fantasy of the 80s kits revisited with Benny in the LEGO Movies, the space theme is now an aspirational part of LEGO City.
With private companies exploring space, commemorating NASA’s achievements and thrilling children with new rockets heralds an exciting new era.
3D printing is an exciting hobby to get into, one that’s dripping with creative potential. But it’s definitely not a cheap hobby.
Even with the dramatic drop in cost of 3D printers over the past few years, you’ll still need to invest hundreds of dollars if you want to start 3D printing stuff at home—and that’s just the cost of starting up.
Maybe you don’t have the money to acquire your own 3D printer, or maybe you don’t have the time to learn the ins and outs of the materials and techniques to make sure your prints aren’t duds.
For some, it’s actually more cost effective to use an online 3D printing site than to buy your own setup, especially if you only have a few items to print. (It can take many, many prints to break even on a 3D printer.)
Here are the best online 3D printing sites where you can upload the file you want to 3D print, select the materials and specs, and have them ship the finished product out to you.
Most importantly, make sure to shop around and get multiple quotes from these sites so you get the best price. Depending on your print specs, one site may be significantly cheaper.
5.3DExperience Make
Regardless of the size of your project, 3DExperience Make should probably be your first place to check when shopping for price.
3DExperience Make boasts partnerships with 3D printing manufacturers from around the world, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find one relatively near you (which can help keep shipping costs down).
If you expect to use their services often, you should consider using their provided software package that lets you view your print job at any time and view it’s progress until it’s done.
The downside to 3DExperience Make is that it’s really just a middleman who find and manages 3D printing connections for you, so they’re better equipped for handling large orders than small, one-off print jobs.
That said, with so many potential manufacturers in their network, you’ll likely be able to find one who has the capacity—big or small—to handle your print job at a reasonable price.
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4.i.materialise
Don’t confuse i.materialise with Materialise. Whereas Materialise is a large company who works with clients to produce industrial-scale 3D printed products, i.materialise is their service for hobbyists.
i.materialise specializes in smaller-scale projects where you only need to 3D print a handful of items rather than thousands. (If you’re more interested in the latter, definitely check out Materialise instead.)
Despite servicing hobbyists, i.materialise’s 3D printers can print using more than 20 different materials, meaning you’ll almost certainly be able to find what you need for your specific print job.
3.Sculpteo
Sculpteo offers plenty of material options to choose from, with the added benefit of worldwide shipping and being able to get an instant quote for your item as soon as you upload your file.
They offer support at every step of the process, from the design concept phase to choosing the right material and finish for your final product.
Sculpteo’s best feature is its library of free online learning materials that teach you everything you need to know, from how 3D printing works to prepping your 3D print file, from choosing the right materials to the various applications for which 3D printing can be useful.
2.Shapeways
While all of the 3D printing sites on this list can print and ship your own 3D models, Shapeways additionally offers base models to choose from, which you can customize to suit your needs.
They have hundreds of templates to choose from that you can tweak until they’re just right, then have them printed and shipped.
Of course, Shapeways offers multiple different printer technologies to choose from. From thermoplastics to resin to metal casting, you can pick the perfect material for your use case.
The pricing will vary wildly depending on the complexity of your print job and the material(s) you choose, but there are enough options that you should be able to find one that fits your budget.
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1.Xometry
If you need a large number of items 3D printed and shipped, then look to Xometry , who’s partnered with 3D printing manufacturers across the US who can produce large-scale product runs at an effective cost.
While Xometry can do smaller projects and print runs, they specialize in larger runs. By pairing you up with a best-fit manufacturer, they can leverage economies of scale to get you the best deal.
Just like the other online 3D printing services on this list, Xometry offers numerous materials and printing techniques, and they offer the best rates on metal casting options (thanks to their industrial specialization).
If you need over 1,000 small metal items 3D printed and shipped, you should definitely get a quote from them.
Even if you’re far from having the skills of an electrical engineer, you shouldn’t feel intimidated by soldering. Once you learn how to solder and start practicing, you’ll realize that it’s actually quite simple.
Soldering is the perfect nerdy hobby. It requires precision, patience, and almost always creates a satisfying result. These are just some of the reasons why you should pick up soldering as your next hobby.
What Is Soldering?
In short, soldering is the process of using a soldering iron to melt solder onto another surface. Solder melts quickly when heated, and cools almost instantly. This makes it ideal for creating bonds, especially in the world of electronics.
Why You Should Start Soldering
As you look up soldering tutorials, don’t let all the technical jargon turn you off. It might sound boring to you, but I promise that it’s nowhere near lackluster. The below reasons were enough to convince me to start, so they should convince you too!
1. Customize and Repair Your Controllers
Have you ever wanted to change the plain white light that shines underneath your Xbox One controller’s home button? With soldering, you can easily switch the boring white LED with something a little more colorful.
Soldering isn’t even the hardest part of this process—taking apart the controller and putting it back together is half the challenge. You can change (or add) LEDs in just about any controller, but it varies in difficulty depending on which controller you want to mod.
Soldering comes in handy for repairing your controllers as well. For example, you can pull off a joystick replacement on an Xbox One controller while just knowing the basics of soldering.
2. Work on Retro Consoles and Games
You start playing a game on your old-school GameBoy, only to find that it doesn’t save your game anymore. Just about everyone has experienced this situation, and has pretty much given up on their game in the process.
But when you learn how to solder, you don’t have to give up on your favorite game. Simply buy a replacement save battery, open up your GameBoy cartridge, solder the new battery on, and you’re all set.
You can perform basic repairs on other retro consoles too. This skill definitely comes in handy when you want to get your old systems up and running again.
3. It’s Cheap to Get Started
One of the best parts about having soldering as a hobby is that it doesn’t cost much. The Plusivo Soldering Iron Kit includes everything you need to get started, and it costs under $50.
When you run out of solder, you’ll have to buy more of that too—thankfully, solder doesn’t cost a fortune either.
4. Gateway to More Advanced Projects
Once you get acquainted with soldering LEDs and making simple repairs, you can start dabbling in harder ventures. Projects involving the versatile Raspberry Pi and Arduino sometimes requires soldering.
You’ll have to have some coding knowledge to deal with theses systems, but at least you’ll have the soldering part covered!
5. Reward Yourself With a Challenge
Soldering isn’t always easy—it can get frustrating to deal with tiny LEDs, a nest of wires, and small circuit boards. You can quickly end up in a cycle of soldering and desoldering just because you keep making a stupid mistake.
When you finally complete your project, you can sit back and admire your work. No matter how simple the project is, it’s always satisfying to finish the job.
Are You Going to Pick Up Soldering?
Like all other hobbies, soldering takes time and patience. It’s a hobby worth picking up if you’re a gaming enthusiast, or if you just want to challenge yourself.
