5

I wish I'd gotten either this or 6456. Both for the Light & Sound element and to get one of those meteors.

@WizardOfOss said:
"But....was it the final one?"

We're leavin' together
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To Earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?

@Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4

Astronaut (On ground): "Ah, COME ON...I WAS JUST IN THE WASHROOM..."

This alliteration makes no sense to me. Sounds more like it should be in a boxing (sports) set. Great set and all, but horrible name.

@legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3

I loved this set - the modularity, deployable solar panels, and light and sound brick were so fun! I still have the light and sound brick, and it still works! I'll always be nostalgic for the three sound options... blast off, stars twinkling, and a warning alarm (or at least, I assume those were the intended interpretations).

@NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3"

2"

1

I got this as either my first or second LEGO set as a kid. This is in many ways where it all began for me.

Another set I got when getting out of my dark ages.. I think I sold it though. Neat little set and got a kick out of the rocket engine with lights and sounds

Oof, spending the development frames on a specialised battery box/light/sound module that then gets used in exactly two sets. Not a good use of resources!

@Al_S said:
"Oof, spending the development frames on a specialised battery box/light/sound module that then gets used in exactly two sets. Not a good use of resources!"

The sound is the same as the "Light And Sound piece" used by the insectoids in sets like 6907

@Brickalili said:
"But I don’t see Susie Dent anywhere in this model "

Comment of the Year. :-)

I've got it on my birthday.

Ah, yes, I remember getting this set on my first-ever visit to LEGOLAND back in '99. It was my first Space Port set as well!

I never had this, but my brother did--it was still short of a shuttle (which we'd both have liked, and was just too much to save for in an era of saving allowances), but it WAS a "full-size" space-going rocket (i.e. not a polybag or the like), and it did have that beautiful meteor-and-crystal--the first recolour of the Aquazone hydrolator crystal, if memory serves.

To be honest, I was much more envious of the meteor than the sound-box. My brother loved the light-and-sound things whenever he got one (which, admittedly, wasn't often--maybe three times?), but it never did much for me as a play feature.

@Al_S said:
"Oof, spending the development frames on a specialised battery box/light/sound module that then gets used in exactly two sets. Not a good use of resources!"

Oh, it could be worse, I suppose. Pay particular attention to the fiberoptics (which were so cool, sold very well, and as such, cost TLG a whole lot of money).

https://www.businessinsider.com/legos-worst-failures-2014-2?international=true&r=US&IR=T

@Banners said:
" @Brickalili said:
"But I don’t see Susie Dent anywhere in this model "

Comment of the Year. :-)"

I’m honestly surprised that many people seem to have gotten the joke

I have the light & sound effects box from that set. It is working but I never used. I have no idea of what to do with it.

@Brickalili said:
" @Banners said:
" @Brickalili said:
"But I don’t see Susie Dent anywhere in this model "

Comment of the Year. :-)"

I’m honestly surprised that many people seem to have gotten the joke"

Eight out of ten cats got the joke.

Never had this as a kid, but I bought it used from a family that was leaving the country. It's yellowed from the sunlight, but it's a neat treasure.

@ChicoCheco said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3"

2"

1"

Guitar solo

@Murdoch17 said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"But....was it the final one?"

We're leavin' together
But still it's farewell
And maybe we'll come back
To Earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We're leaving ground
Will things ever be the same again?"

Tadadata
Tadadatata,
Tadadata,
Tadadatatatata.

@Ridgeheart:
Until I started reading that article, I thought you were referring to the Spybotics line, which also had fiberoptic components, but did not sell all that well to my knowledge. For the very limited selection of parts you got, once you set the two Spybot components aside, they were incredibly expensive, and the main reason why a lot of people did end up buying them in the first place was that some of those parts were exclusive and highly desirable. But not all four benefited from this. 3806 had a massive assortment of black gears, 3808 had a smaller assortment and the only exclusive Bohrok eyes, 3809 just had a small selection of black gears (most of which you could get in the previous two), and 3807 didn't really have anything of interest. And if online PAB had been a thing back then, none of them would have been worth buying.

I'm just happy that there's enough successes to offset the failures, and let's be honest, TLG isn't alone in this - Nintendo, for instance, is also home to incredible failures that go hand in hand with its successes.

We already know that TLG staunchly powers ahead with their attempts to marry AR with physical products, and as long as they can manage to stay financially stable, I say more power to them. Maybe one of these days, they'll get it right.

@ChicoCheco said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3"

2"

1"

Earth below us
Drifting, falling
Floating weightless
Calling, calling Huwbot

@ChicoCheco said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3"

2"

1"

This is Ground Control to Major Tom

@Ridgeheart:
The tricky thing with Nintendo is that even some of their failures are actually successes. In terms of overall sales, the GameCube ran a distant third for its generation. It was, however, the most profitable system of the three, because Nintendo makes sure they profit off every system from day 1. Microsoft and Sony sell theirs at a loss for years, planning to recoup their investment on licensing fees charged to game developers who want to releases content for those systems. It’s only late in the product lifespan that they’ve managed to bring manufacturing costs down enough to start profiting on those console sales directly. So, if a new system is a complete flop, they may still eat the development costs, but each system sold improves their bottom line rather than increasing their total losses.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart:
The tricky thing with Nintendo is that even some of their failures are actually successes. In terms of overall sales, the GameCube ran a distant third for its generation. It was, however, the most profitable system of the three, because Nintendo makes sure they profit off every system from day 1. Microsoft and Sony sell theirs at a loss for years, planning to recoup their investment on licensing fees charged to game developers who want to releases content for those systems. It’s only late in the product lifespan that they’ve managed to bring manufacturing costs down enough to start profiting on those console sales directly. So, if a new system is a complete flop, they may still eat the development costs, but each system sold improves their bottom line rather than increasing their total losses."

It could be argued that Sony's success was based on one of Nintendo's greatest failures; that of clinging to cartridges in an era of disk-based media. The story goes that Square - back then, a staunch and exclusive ally of Nintendo's - switched side to the dark horse when Miyamoto told them that, no, their latest Final Fantasy could not be produced on CD-format. That was FFVII, to which Sony's foray into video-gaming owes a fairly substantial debt of gratitude.

I'll happily credit Nintendo's indomitable spirit, though. We've had some insufferable toxic turds in the form of, say, the Virtual Boy and the CDi-Zeldas, but from those ashes would eventually rise the Switch and Breath of the Wild. And this is what innovation is - you try, you fail, you learn, you apply, you polish, you try again, and again, and again. Maybe success is beyond that next hill.

I don't like Galidor or Scala. 'Wand of Gamelon' is an insult to anyone who's ever played it. It's not sensible to sell a product below is production-costs. It's not wise to cling to outdated media when technology (and consumer-demand) marches on. But I do enjoy learning of these terrible, foolish mistakes, because doing so teaches us so much, and it allows us to appreciate the successes even more.

Two words: 'Chrome Green'!

!!!!

The set is a nice enough late 90s space rocket (you can apparently man it in the top section, but it looks super claustrofobic!) but that one rock man. It's beautiful. I was I got one off Bricklink when I had the chance. It's one of lego's rarest colors too, as it only appeared on that one crystal piece in this set and the big launch site set.

The chrome green parts do get scratched so easily though. :(

@ChicoCheco said:
" @NotProfessorWhymzi said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @legodachi said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"5"

4"

3"

2"

1"
Uh-huh, it was the Manfreds....

I remember my son had this set.

@Ridgeheart:
Galidor actually introduced a hinge system that rendered similar existing systems obsolete, and remains in production to this day. Most recently I’ve encountered it in the Creator 3-in-1 Opera Viking Ship, where it’s used in both the Midgard Serpent and Fenrir Wolf models. Ironically, while the theme was a massive part of the problem with almost every piece being unique to one set, I know of at least two hinge systems that were retired after the Galidor hinges came on the scene.

And the loss-leader, when planned out in advance, can be a very effective tool for increasing sales on profitable items. The Costco pre-cooked rotisserie chicken is a famous example of this. They tried either eliminating it, or increasing the price (it actually costs more to buy a raw chicken there), and memberships dropped. They reset things where they’d been, and memberships came back. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose money on their hot dog combo, too. But someone walks in, buys a chicken or a few hot dogs, and they walk out with an oversized shopping cart full of other products.

Ironically, while the PS2 owes much of its success to doubling as a budget DVD player, the PS3 nearly ranked because cramming in new Blu-Ray hardware made it so incredibly expensive that their head tried to pass it off as them wanting gamers to feel like they had a premium prodcut, even when they were losing money on early console sales (and weren’t delivering measurably better graphics than Microsoft, while retaining the least ergonomic game control I’ve ever seen). And Nintendo saw restored success by going back to the cartridge for the Switch.

@PurpleDave said:
"Nintendo saw restored success by going back to the cartridge for the Switch."

Come now. I agree with most everything you said just now, but let's be realistic here: https://mynintendonews.com/2022/12/27/72-of-console-games-sold-in-2022-were-digital-vs-28-physical/

(Which is, in itself, also a sign that Miyamoto is willing to embrace new technology and learn from his mistakes)

I've got this set and while the "lights and sounds" piece might convince you it's a lot of fun, the sound is actually very annoying after the kids push it twice. We all know the kids pushed it 100 times! 0_o

@Ridgeheart:
The Wii was one of the most successful consoles of all time, hitting 100 million in sales. The WiiU, which I actually preferred for the ability to use it as a giant GBA, was not as successful. The Switch, which allowed you to actually leave the home with a console that doubled as a portable handheld, was entirely dependent on ditching energy-intensive spinning optical media, which was a notorious weak point for the PSP. Regardless of what form of games people were playing on the Switch, the return of the cartridge was key to its success. Without that, it would be tied to your living room like every other major console.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Ridgeheart:
The Wii was one of the most successful consoles of all time, hitting 100 million in sales. The WiiU, which I actually preferred for the ability to use it as a giant GBA, was not as successful. The Switch, which allowed you to actually leave the home with a console that doubled as a portable handheld, was entirely dependent on ditching energy-intensive spinning optical media, which was a notorious weak point for the PSP. Regardless of what form of games people were playing on the Switch, the return of the cartridge was key to its success. Without that, it would be tied to your living room like every other major console."

Some good Nintendo discussion going on here. And this isn't even a Mario set.

Interesting set! I think the rocket nozzles in that wavy shape could be very cool pieces if on their own, without the whole light an sound unit