LEGO® City parts review and MOCs: 60351 Rocket Launch Centre

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

The largest set in the new LEGO® City space range is a rocket launch site. You'll already have seen many reviews of 60351 Rocket Launch Centre I imagine, so highlighted here are all the new, exclusive and rare parts you'll find in the set. 

 

Then I threw all the new parts on a table and tried to see if I could fit a square peg in a round hole, before finally coming up with a couple of MOCs. The set is available right now priced £124.99 / $149.99 / 139.99€; if you're buying please consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'.

New moulds in LEGO set 60351

• 4x Panel Curved, Quarter, with Bars at Each End in White (6382694 | 87375); four of these beauties also come in Trans Blue in 60350 Lunar Research Base
• 1x Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 9 x 4 1/3 Bottom in Dark Orange (6381454 | 92847), comes in White in 60350 Lunar Research Base & 60349 Lunar Space Station
• 1x Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 7 x 2 2/3 Top in Dark Orange (6381453 | 92832), comes in Trans Blue in 60350 Lunar Research Base & 60349 Lunar Space Station
• 1x Rock 4 x 4 x 1 1/3, Top with Trans-Light Blue Crystals Pattern in Pearl Dark Grey / Titanium Metallic (6392821 | 87398), only available in flat silver in the three other sets in the subtheme.
• 1x Rock 4 x 4 x 1 2/3, Bottom with Trans-Light Blue Crystals Pattern in Pearl Dark Grey / Titanium Metallic (6392822 | 88644), again, only available in flat silver in the three other sets in the subtheme.

Exclusive or recoloured parts in 60351

• 1x Slope Inverted 45° 6 x 4 Double with 4 x 4 Cutout and 3 Holes in Dark Orange (6265682 | 60219)
• 14x Support 1 x 6 x 5 Girder Rectangular in Dark Blue / Earth Blue (6388643 | 64448)
• 2x Barrel Half Large with Axle Hole in White (6388641 | 64951)
• 1x Minifig Hair Swept Back with Widow's Peak Chin-Length and Bushy in Back - Dark Tan / Sand Yellow (6390111 | 21269) Having only recently reviewed 10300 Back to the Future Delorean, the colour I really want this in is Bright Light Yellow!

Rare parts in 60351

In one other set

• 1x Brick Round 4 x 4 [Centre Hole] in Green / Dark Green (6353424 | 87081), only previously available in 76388 Hogsmeade Village
• 2x Slope Curved 8 x 6 x 2 Double in Dark Orange (6265678 | 45411), only previously available in 60228 Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
• 2x Fuselage 6 x 10 x 4 Round in Dark Orange (6265684 | 49949), only previously available in 60228 Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
• 4x Wheel 11 x 6 with Smooth Hubcap - Pearl Gold / Warm Gold (6390206 | 93594), new in this colour for 2022 and additionally available in 60350
• 4x Cone Half 2 x 4 x 3 in White (6262646 | 38317) is shown here erroneously, as it too is exclusive to 60351. 

In two or more other sets

• 10x Slope Brick Curved 2 x 4 x 2/3 No Studs, with Bottom Tubes in Dark Orange (6186046 | 88930), in two other sets
• 4x Vehicle Track, Train, Plain Rail Straight (no slots, no notches on end) in Light Bluish Gray / Medium Stone Gray (6333276 | 3228), currently only also in the Daily Bugle, but has had intermittent availability often with four or five years between appearances
• 4x Plant, Beehive / Nest in Pearl Dark Grey / Titanium Metallic (6320173 | 35574), in two other sets 
• 1x Animal Body Part / Plant, Tail / Claw / Horn / Branch / Tentacle, End Section in Reddish Brown (6372430 | 40379), in two other sets

In three or more other sets

• 2x Slope Curved 2 x 1 Inverted in Dark Orange (6339914 | 24201), in three other sets
• 4x Slope 25° 1 x 8 x 3 in White (6262530 | 49618), in three other sets
• 4x Brick 1X8 in Dark Blue / Earth Blue (6277303 | 3008), in three other sets
• 2x Barrel Half Large with Axle Hole in Light Bluish Grey / Medium Stone Gray (6262086 | 64951), in four sets
• 2x Lattice 3 x 6 Module with Studs in White (6254291 | 29165), in four sets

Printed parts in the LEGO® City Rocket Launch Centre

• 2x Tile Round 1 x 1 with Bacteria Print in Trans Clear / Transparent (6384069 | 98461, aka 98138pr0197) appears in three other sets: 60349 and 60350 from the City space subtheme and also 60329 School Day from the main City theme (you get one spare as well)
• 1x Slope Curved 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Classic Space Logo Print in White (6384572 | 98838) appears in all of this year’s City space sets

Geometry of the new parts in 60351

Panel Curved, Quarter, with Bars at Each End (87375)

The big panels look really interesting, although they do not match the curvature of similar panels that have previously been released. 

 

The dimensions are 11 modules wide, 7 modules deep by 5 bricks and two plates high. It's quite a large element and I can't help being reminded of that famous large 10 x 10 x 12 Quarter Dome panel (2409). Those old faceted panels were found in eight sets - one of my favourites being the legendary 6987 Message Intercept Base. 

 

If only the new piece came in Trans Yellow!

Disclaimer: This image portrays a photoshopped recolour. Do not purchase.

Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward: 6x9x4 1/3 Bottom (92847) and 6x7x2 2/3 Top (92832)

The new cockpit/cone/nose parts neatly follow the geometry established by parts that have previously been released, as you would expect. However, I think this part is an addition to a group of parts that are threatening to become a whole new family. Especially if you include the accompanying 49949 Fuselage 6 x 10 x 4 element.

The combination of the two cockpit parts makes a shape that I think is begging to be used to create a Millennium Falcon cockpit. There were rumours of a 4+ version of Han Solo's Corellian Freighter late last year and I think the appearance of this part certainly makes that a possibility even if it doesn't literally "add" to the veracity of the rumour.

 

Rock 4x4x1 1/3 Top with Trans-Light Blue Crystals (87398) and Rock 4x4x1 2/3 Bottom with Trans-Light Blue Crystals (88644)

The new over-moulded boulder elements share the same 4x4x3 octagonal part line with their predecessor, the 30293 / 30294 boulder parts, and so are fully compatible . The top is 1 brick and 1 plate high and the base is 2 bricks and 2 plates high. Unfortunately, the parts do not satisfactorily form an enclosure with the 80337 octagonal jewel base piece from LEGO Disney sets 43203, 43198 and 43199 and LEGO City space subtheme 60350.

The Pearl Dark Gray that comes with this set is less impressive than the flat silver variant available elsewhere, in my opinion. The combination of colours is far more visually pleasing in its more commonly available appearance.

MOCs inspired by the parts in 60351

The parts were so interesting that didn’t build the set: I had to just get stuck into my own creations.

 

I had a lot of ideas that I wanted to explore. I started experimenting with the dark orange fuselages and some additional roller coaster track with the concept of a log flume. However, like the gravitational pull of a black hole, I was drawn back to Space. What if I filled a cereal bowl made of the quarter domes with the geode boulder pieces...? "Zillogg’s Meteors" for that extra crunch! Ultimately that cosmic idea led me back to creating space hardware.

I eventually settled on two vehicles that I think really have been inspired by the new space theme and those large panel pieces, even if they have more of the flavour of Neo Classic Space.

After much fiddling, the first thing I built was a sort of surface scooter, trying to follow in the footsteps of simple classics like sets 885 Space Scooter from 1979 and 6803 Space Patrol from 1983.

The next build was one of those cases of me getting carried away. 

This is an exploration and surveying rover. I had imaginary missions playing out in my head whilst I was building!

I haven't built a full blown rover for some time. It was those large panels looking like a big radar dish that inspired me to create the vehicle that would be needed to transport them!

Conclusion

As a parts pack or an inspirational starting point to jump into your own creations, 60351 is a great set to play around with. At £124.99 / $149.99 / 139.99€ I feel the price point is a little on the high side and I would certainly be looking to get this set on discount if I was buying it, but if you're buying from LEGO.com please consider using our affiliate links, New Elementary may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop/for Europe 'Change region'.

 

This new theme really is a wonderful bridge between the real world of NASA-inspired sets that LEGO has produced in recent years and the Classic Space sets of my childhood.

READ MORE: LEGO® cloth elements examined by Eero Okkonen

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