Anyone reading my reviews for this City subseries might think I'm a little biased in my opinion, because I'm such a Lego Space nerd. The number of full five-star-ratings I hand out to the sets of the series might also prove so. But the simple truth is, that most of these sets are just that good! And this one does just the same, always keeping in mind the target audience.

Parts

Like most 4+-sets, this one also has a rather small number of parts, especially when compared to the retail price. But we'll come to that later. The most interesting parts are the large black hull piece for the spacecraft, the large rock pieces, the sand-colored base plates and several transparent pieces. These include the well-known trans-violet crystals and round bricks, as well as two trans-light blue pieces (controls for the ship, screen for the lab) with computer prints on them. There are also four printed slopes with printed engine elements, which only appear in this set and the 60430 Interstellar Space Ship (check my review!). The set has no stickers, which is suitable for the targeted age group.

Minifigures

There are three minifigures accompanying this set; two astronauts and a brick-built chubby green alien. We have a male astronaut with light blue pilot gear and helmet and a female scientist with a green helmet. The alien is not the usual small, big-headed tentacle-dude, but a rather round and cuddly guy that you might or might not know from the space-themed Friends sets. The gear for the minifigures comprises a pneumatic drill and a metal detector, as well as several energy crystals.

The build

Two booklets cover the built of the set. They are even more detailed than the usual ones, with large graphics on a single page showing which parts are needed for the next building step.
The first booklet shows the building process of the spacecraft, the second one the lab and crane. Of course, everything is very straightforward and simple, so this section of the review is rather brief.

The completed model

The three-pieced set consists of the following:
The spaceship: In design, it resembles the aforementioned 60430, just a bit more "chubby", just like the alien. It is still very streamlined and has all the elements needed: an opening cockpit window, transparent controls, energy cells, a small cargo area above the main propulsion drive and printed engine exhaust ports.
The lab: the octagonal baseplate holds a small storage area with clips for the drill and the metal detector. The lab area itself has a workstation with a crystal, a computer and an energy cell. The "wall" has a large transparent screen depicting what seems to be an energy transfer from the crystal to the cell.
The loading area: on another octagonal baseplate rests a simple crane that rotates 360 degrees and has a small control panel. The two large rocks can be cracked open and crystals be hidden inside. Special plates with holes are attached to these rocks for easier lifting with the crane.

Overall opinion

While this set is, obviously, very simple in design, build and functionality, it is perfect for smaller kids aged 4+. The spaceship is very sturdy and pretty much likes to be swooshed around. No small or delicate parts stick out, so there's nothing to break off easily. The pilot goes in and out of the cockpit smoothly and there's even a small space in the back where a crystal can be stored.
The two working areas are also rather simple, yet hold a lot of possibilities. The two large rocks, the good amount of energy crystals, the nicely printed screen and the gear for the minifigures provide a wide range of playability for the little ones. My eight-year-old daughter did intensive testing on the set, and she was even excited about what could all be done with only so few parts.
As with most 4+-sets, the retail price and ct/piece-ratio is rather high, but being available with quite some discounts, this should not be much of a problem. So, if you want to introduce your young Lego enthusiast to the space theme, this is the perfect set for you!!

Following our look at the little mech for 2024 we move up or would it be down to the 4+ line of sets for this wave and the one for this sub-theme, specifically. It features an entire research area and a ship and for 20 dollars no less, but how does it fare? This line has a mixed reputation for value and builds.

Packaging:

Just like the Mech before it, the packaging here is nice, and there is even more to do than in that little mech set. Plus the ship and research station look pretty nice for what they are. Also because of the age range all parts are printed so already there is a ton of attractive pieces and bits right there on the box.

Contents and Spare parts:

We get a couple bags and a big undercarriage piece for a ship as well as 2 fairly large plates for the terrain build. Of course instructions are included. The spare parts consisted of a helmet visor and a small translucent orange round tile. Again for just 20 bucks. There already a lot there.

The Builds:

The builds were pretty simple, as one would expect for this age range. But somehow they end up looking a lot better than you one would think. The crane works well, the big rock pieces you can take for mining and the wonderful research station, despite its simplicity, all work every well together to immerse a young one in play that wants to just let imagination take over. The spaceship is on a whole other level just in terms of its apperance. Despite being mostly made up of a very large piece it still packs a great amount of detail and looks rather sleek despite its stumpy appearance from some angles. Actually, I can't believe how impressed I am with both the looks and play included in a set from this line at this price range. It is honestly a lot better than it has any right to be.

Lets not mention the inclusion of so many of those nice crystal pieces too and the fact both astronauts can get a power tool to start working on the rocks and such. If you have other sets in the line such as the mech you can certainly find a way to combine a lot of the activities here and just have fun. The best surprise is the large alien creature. His face is very friendly and adorable given his bubbly shape and bright lime green color scheme. If I were a kid I would be elated with something this comprehensive from such a relatively simple box of parts.

The Minifigures:

We get two nice astronauts one male and one female with gender neutral suits so you can mix and match at your discretion. The green suit seems to denote research or crystal specialists. The blue figure seems to be the pilot/driver type of specialist. No back packs are included as the pilot would not fit in his craft with one on, sadly. But given the age range it is not bad the printed back portion can stand in for a pack or you can just add some packs from your own collection when not on board the spaceship. Sadly, no alternate hair pieces were included for when these 2 figures are just chilling out someplace outside of work.

Overall:

This set is definitely the mood-maker set for this line. The vehicle is sleek, the aliens are cute, the color scheme just pops and is inviting. The play pattern and activities are decent an can be varied to your liking, getting multiple of these would not be a bad call if you really like the line and want to beef up your space force, not only that but the plethora of printed elements are useful and can be used in a many other settings not just this theme. I am still trying to figure out how this much fun is only 20 bucks. But there you have it, sometimes some things are just fun for what they are.

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Juniors sets always send my mind back to my bedroom the day after Christmas in 2001. I got 4606 from the Jack Stone line on Christmas Eve and promptly spent every dollar of my Christmas cash on Lego's somewhat unsuccessful foray into a younger builder's market.

Today's complex builds will always astound me, but I always have a deep fondness for the simple, junior builds.

You get a great variety of parts, including the new shimmering purple crystals, the classic rock raider boulders, and a variety of printed pieces including slopes and a glass screen.

The spaceship looks more complete than most Junior sets in spite of the simple parts. It does not look out of place alongside the other builds from the Space theme. The same can't be said for the side builds, as they may stand out a bit too much next to a more robust build found in other sets.

The minifigs are the real stand-outs even though they are not exclusive to this set. Wonderful prints and unique helmets make me think these will be beloved by fans for years to come.

I paid $15 for this with a coupon and feel like that was the right price for the enjoyment we got. Definitely looking forward to completing the new City Space line.