Blast off into a world of fun with LEGO Creator Space Astronaut 31152, a 3-in-1 set that can be transformed from an awesomely magnificent astronaut that “floats”, to a sleekly futuristic space shuttle, and even to an adorable space dog (perhaps a nod to Laika, the first dog in space).
Review of LEGO Creator Space Astronaut 31152
The set contains 647 pieces, and is recommended for kids 9 years and up (although my 5 year old space fanatic managed it with some help here and there).
Build experience
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LEGO Creator Astronaut 31152 consists of 5 bags of LEGO pieces. Bag 1 consists of the pieces to build the astronaut’s head and torso, Bags 2 and 3 contain the arm and leg pieces respectively, Bag 4 contains the pieces for the jet pack, and finally Bag 5 contains the pieces for the stand.
Since this is a 3-in-1 set, there are 3 separate instruction booklets for the 3 different builds. We focused on the primary build, but are looking forward to building the space shuttle and space dog next!
Starting from Bag 1, an immediate draw of this build is the astronaut’s eye-catchingly beautiful golden visor, which flips down to reveal a cockpit where a LEGO minifigure can be seated snugly to control the astronaut suit.
Surprise! The astronaut is actually an astronaut mech i.e. a giant robot that is controlled by a pilot. Note that this set does not come with any minifigures – but this is easily rectifiable by borrowing a minifigure from any other LEGO set.
Moving on to the legs and arms (Bags 2 and 3), we discovered that the biggest challenge of this build is also its greatest strength. This build features multiple joints in the limbs, allowing for a high level of articulation. My 5 year old definitely needed help assembling these, as they required a combination of strength and coordination that younger kids would struggle with (hence the recommended age of 9+). However, these joints are also what bring the astronaut to life and make it so realistic.
Of course, since this is a “mirror build” with 2 arms and 2 legs, some (especially younger kids) may find it slightly repetitive – before getting started on the second arm, my 5 year old commented “it may be a bit boring because I already did the same thing once”. Still, there’s no denying the immense satisfaction we had when we finally completed the astronaut in all its splendour. This would also make a fun activity with a friend, where kids can take turns building.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this build was found in Bag 4 – the astronaut’s jet pack. One section of the jet pack is held together by a single bridge piece, making it very fragile during the building process. But once it was completed, it did get sturdier and held together nicely.
The final part of the build is the stand (Bag 5). After all the white of the astronaut suit, this almost-all-black construction was a welcome change.
The building process of the stand was relatively simple and straightforward, but really serves to elevate (both literally and figuratively) the build. Once the astronaut was mounted on the stand, it was a breathtaking sight to behold it seemingly floating in zero gravity!
Great for display and play
An obvious plus point of LEGO Creator Space Astronaut 31152 is its 3-in-1 build, providing for three times the amount of fun. The toughest part would probably be deciding which design to keep to be displayed!
As mentioned above, an impressive feature of this build is the multiple joints which make the astronaut very “poseable” and really amp up the lifelike factor. In particular, the jointed fingers are an unexpectedly delightful touch – they allow the astronaut to really look like it is controlling the joystick or fiddling with the control panel.
We had great fun imagining the astronaut in multiple different poses, including this yoga-esque one:
LEGO Creator Space Astronaut 31152 is truly a stellar experience, guaranteed to be a favourite not just with the kids but adults too. It is a stunning addition to any LEGO enthusiast’s shelf, while also being a fun play item for hours of imaginative play.
This little space lover has definitely been having a blast swooshing it around and bringing it out on spacewalks!
If your child loves all things to do with space, he or she will not want to miss Space Explorers: THE INFINITE.
