The Professor (on Instagram) is back today with more of his excellent alternate builds, this time using the 2020 LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 set 31107 Space Rover Explorer. Buying this set? Consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: UK LEGO Shop | USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop, for other countries 'Change Region'. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.
I’ve always liked the LEGO® Creator 3-in-1 sets as they’re often a good basis on which to create plenty of MOCs! 31107 Space Rover Explorer contains many pieces specific to the theme of Space. Let's take a quick look at its parts and 3 models, before I experiment with my own creations using only the parts in the set.
Parts in 31107 Space Rover Explorer
Spacer's delight! Minifig Torso Astronaut Classic Space Logo Dark Blue Straps (6301986 | 973pr9706c01) was introduced in this set and also now appears in 31111 Cyber Drone.
Glass for Train Front 2 x 6 x 2 in Transparent Brown/ Trans-Black (6299774 | 17457) also appears in 10277 Crocodile Locomotive. It is inserted into Train Front 2 x 6 x 2 in White (6079143 | 17454) which has only appeared in 4 other sets since 2014.
Here are some other relatively rare pieces I found in the set, including a nice selection in Bright Yellowish Green/ Lime.
The 3-in-1 models of LEGO Creator 31107
LEGO rover
The hero model, the rover, is very well made and especially playable with all its accessories.
The two characters, one alien and one robot, are very characterful and offer a lot of storytelling possibilities.
I like the sections that come off, allowing discovery of the interior of the vehicle.
The wheel suspension system is nice, but built oddly.
LEGO space base
The second model is a space base. We clearly find the same atmosphere as the rover here, but minus the wheels!
The cool thing about this model are its sliding doors.
LEGO Spaceship
The third model is a spaceship. The overall design is rather nice with the wings slightly tilted, but it lacks detail and playability.
The Professor's alternate builds of 31107 Space Rover Explorer
In short, this set is literally “space, space, space”! I have tried to create other things with 31107 Space Rover Explorer using only its parts.
At first though I stuck with the Space theme, inevitably starting with a rover; slightly different from the original set though:
I also tried to make a two-seater spaceship:
To try to get out of the Space theme, I made a tractor:
And using a little more imagination, I made a white tumbler:
In the end, 31107 Space Rover Explorer did not inspire me as much as I had hoped: the pieces are too specific to the theme of Space for my tastes, but it will certainly please all Spacers! Hopefully it will inspire you more.
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I'm surprised that you found the parts too Space-specific for your tastes as a builder, considering that most of them are generic, and even many of the more specialized ones originate from themes other than Space! That said, you managed to come up with some great MOCs from this set's parts in spite of feeling limited by their "spaciness".
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, my experience backs up the statement at the beginning of the article that Creator 3-in-1 sets tend to be a great starting point for original creations. Back in the days of LEGO BrickMaster magazine (the "premium" edition of the magazine that included a small set with each issue), my twin brother and I were often able to rebuild the Creator polybag sets we received into original creations of our own.
I suppose this versatility is largely because Creator 3-in-1 sets' parts tend to be chosen specifically for building multiple sorts of model: for instance, a tendency to include studded parts where a more play-focused theme might use studless ones; hinges or SNOT brackets that help to "re-contextualize" parts by changing their orientation from one model to the next; and/or functions built from standard System elements or turntables in place of Technic functional elements specifically designed for functional applications like steering or suspension (as with some of the suspension in this set's A-model).
Also, since you didn't mention it in the review, I want to take this opportunity to point out that the spaceship in the C-model is a "Vic Viper" style spacecraft! This style of LEGO spaceship is named after a ship from the video game "Gradius" which serves as the general template for their structure: two forward-facing prongs in the front, two lateral wings/stablizers and a single dorsal fin in the back, and a cockpit in the center. You can find various MOC examples here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/921332@N22/
The late MOCist Nate Nielsen/"nnenn" (https://www.flickr.com/photos/nnenn) popularized this style of spaceship among his fellow AFOLs, and established the annual building event "NnoVVember" in which MOCists create their own Vic Viper MOCs and share them over the course of a single month. All the Vic Vipers submitted over the course of the month are then compiled into a single poster-style graphic, as can be seen in this thread: https://www.flickr.com/groups/921332@N22/discuss/72157628216654829/
As such, any time a "Vic Viper" style spacecraft shows up in an official set like this one, it can be understood as a shout-out to the AFOL community and a tribute to Nate himself, especially since his untimely passing in 2010.
Thanks for that lovely shout-out to nnenn, Skye! A huge figure in the community who is sorely missed.
DeleteIndeed the set isn't so "spaciness" but I did not have much inspiration on this model.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the "Vic Viper" model ... and Nate Nielsen. Thank you for sharing
I love the articulated wheels in the main model, each moves and it's fun to roll around over blankets or whatever you have that really shows them off.
ReplyDelete@The Professor, can you elaborate on what you mean by:
"The wheel suspension system is nice, but built oddly."
Do you mean part usage or it doesn't work as well as it should or something else?
Thanks for the review!
This is one of my favourite sets, and I'm so glad I ended up with two of them. I LOVE YOUR TUMBLER HOLY CRAP. That thing is so cool! I love how many useful parts there are in this set.
ReplyDeleteis there instructions for these? i wanna build them so bad!!
ReplyDeletei don't recall seeing instructions of any of his builds but do check his insta
DeleteReally cool Ideas! Just wished you had included instructions for the tumbler Cause I am just trembling to smash my set into pieces to build that
ReplyDelete