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Contents

Introduction
The Set
The Box
The Instructions
The Parts
The Build
Conclusion

Introduction

The 2024 Space theme continues to add not only big space stations or planetary bases, like Mars Base and the Space Base, but also a number of single vehicles to explore space and foreign planets. With the two small City sets, that we're looking at today, the vehicle fleet for your space adventure is stocked up.

The little Hoverbike with less than 50 parts might be a revival of the many small vehicles of the space theme, that came in many different forms, but with lots of airborne speeders, gliders, jets etc. The shape is new though and reminds a bit of a shrinked pod racer of the (also space related) Star Wars theme. It also goes well together with the little Scooter from 60433. The Interstellar Spaceship presents a kind of new class of aircraft, since its name indicates the ability to travel between galaxies to reach even further planets. It uses a common shape for spaceships but kinda reminds of the Space Explorer.

The new 2024 Space sets over all themes (for more information see here) share a color palette, that features the new introduced color Reddish Orange. The modern flair on the base of black and white is topped of with said Reddish Orange. The palette is a reference to the Space Mars Mission and City Mars Exploration theme, which both use mainly White, a bit Black and Orange.

As far as I can see every theme uses a fourth color to complete the palette. The 'City' sets use Sand Blue, the 'Friends' set adds Dark Purple and the 'Technic' sets use more gray colors. Since we're looking at two 'City' sets, I have to admit, that I like the accents of Reddish Orange and Sand Blue most. As complementary colors they go very well together and in addition to that Sand Blue is a more dull color tone and Reddish Orange is a vibrant color (find some more information about color theory here), which accents the opposite character of both colors.

One last thought about the colors. As you could see in the bigger sets (Mars Base and the Space Base) the Minifigs have different colors for their set of tasks (Green = Scientist, Blue = Pilot, Yellow = Worker and Gold = Command). Also the molds of the helmets and backpacks differ a bit. We've seen different colors with the the Classic Spacemen (although I couldn't determine a pattern acoording to the tasks), so this might be another small reference to classic space sets.

So enough about colors for now. Let's look at the bricks.

The Set

The official description of set 60430 is:

Space adventurers aged 6 and over can enjoy thrilling intergalactic action with this futuristic LEGO® City Interstellar Spaceship toy (60430) playset for kids. This single-seat spacecraft is built for speed. Kids can insert a toy battery pack to engage the fold-out main thrusters for lightning-fast travel to the far reaches of space. The set also includes a drone bot that converts to a jetpack for the included space crew minifigure.

Take your space fan on an exciting adventure! Download the LEGO Builder app and step into a new world of building fun where kids can zoom in and rotate models in 3D, save toy playsets and track their progress.

LEGO City space toys make a great gift for any occasion, with realistic vehicles, detailed structures and inspiring characters that merge fantasy and reality for imaginative play without limits. Kids can add this building set to others (sold separately) in the LEGO City space range for more epic adventures.

Spaceship toy for imaginative play – Young space enthusiasts can blast off for intergalactic action with this LEGO® City Interstellar Spaceship playset
What’s in the box – This fun building toy for ages 6 plus includes everything kids need to build an interstellar spaceship, drone bot and space crew minifigure
Creative play – Kids insert a toy battery pack to engage the spaceship’s fold-out main thrusters for lightning-fast space travel and convert the drone bot into a jetpack

Since set 30663 isn't even listed in the LEGO Online shop there unfortunately is no official description.

 

The set 60430 is available at the LEGO store for $19.99 / €19,99 / £17.99 / AU$29.99 and the set 60336 for $4.99 / €3,99  (prices for the UK and Australia aren't available at the time I wrote the blog).

The set 60430 contains 240 parts (plus 9 spare parts) and that results in 8,0 ct/piece, and set 60336 contains 46 parts (plus 5 spares), which results in 9.8 ct/piece.

 

The Box

The box measures 26.2 x 19.1 x 4.6 cm (10.3 x 7.5 x 1.8 in). It contains 2 numbered bags, two hull elements and one instruction manual. The Polybag measures 17 x 19.5 x 1.5 cm (6.7 x 7.7 x 0.6 in). It contains one instruction manual and the loose parts.

The Instructions

The instruction manual of 60430 measures 193 mm x 126 mm, has 102 pages and has overall 111 building steps. The instruction sheet of 60336 measures 276 mm x 204 mm (unfolded) and has 10 easy building steps

The pdf of the instructions are available for download here: 60430 and 30663.

The Parts

60430

The set contains 240 parts and 9 spares, in 19 colors, and 24 part categories, with a total of 108 unique parts/color combinations.
Main colors are:

Main categories are:

Minifigures:


1x Astronaut, White and Dark Blue Spacesuit, Dark Azure Backpack, Dark Blue Helmet

 

New Parts and Colours:

Rare Parts and Prints:

 

30663

The set contains 46 parts and 5 spares, in 16 colors, and 19 part categories, with a total of 26 unique parts/color combinations.
Main colors are:

Main categories are:

Minifigures:


1x Astronuat, White and Dark Blue Spacesuit, Dark Azure Helmet, Earpiece

 

New Parts and Colours:

Spare Parts

One quick look today goes to the spare parts, because both sets give you an additional tile with the battery print, which I think very useful for any kind of builds of electronic equipment. 60430 also has two still quite new half circle tiles, one even in reddish orange as spares.

The Build

30663

As expected this little vehicle is quickly built with no difficulties or complicated techniques. But this set uses its few parts well. The hitching creates the feeling of a cockpit and the two small engines at the front can be turned 360° for maneuverability. Also the details of lights/cameras on the front and the battery behind the pilot give a nice overall look. Only the round tile with bar in front of the pilot seems a bit odd, because its a bit short for a control stick (and a lever would have been the obvious choice), but this way you can just remove it and get the space needed to give the pilot a backpack (like in the other 2024 sets) or airtanks, which isn't included in the set. The tiny rock structure and especially the two crystals in Trans-Purple Opal are a great addition.

60430

The bigger of the two sets starts off with a small device, that doubles as drone and jetpack (also found among old space sets). The use of the flags to attach the small engines is quite clever. According to the official pictures the drone is controled with the trans-light blue panel from the cockpit, which is supposed to be detachable like a tablet. As jetpack it fits on the backpack of the (until now) exclusive Minifig of this set. Speaking of the Minifig: look at that face tattoo of a star constellation. Also the helmet and arms in Dark Blue are very good looking.

For the spaceship we use the two new, big hull parts right in the first steps and lay ground for the play feature on the engine. The core of that little mechanism is the sliding section with the 1x2 double curved brick. Also the new 1x4 rounded plate is used, which comes 7x in this set, that's the highest count in a set (so far).

Then we build up the rear part with the engine using hinge plates and you see the beginning shaft for the push mechanism..

After that we switch to the front and start to work on the shape of the spaceship with different wedge plates. I like the protruding black layer of plates all around the ship, that kind of reminds of NASA space shuttles.The wings are attached with the 73109 special Brick  and they add the first color spots of Sand Blue and Reddish Orange.

The cockpit is completed with the control panel and big wedges. The ship then gets its nose and the front is finished.

Back to the rear to work on the mechanism. Actually its as simple as it gets, but works like a charm once finished. A tip of two 'roof parts' is put in upside down and pushes the sliding section with the double curved brick to the side and the boat stud then pushes the sections of the engine to fold out. The mechanism is secured with a 4x4 ring, that it couldn't fall out. On top of that we mount one you might say 'signature part' of the new space sets in the city theme, as the roller coaster track in Reddish Orange is used in all of them. It gives a nice detail with enough space to build around. 

With the last steps a few more details are added with printed parts. The air intake on the curved slope is another very useful part for MOCs in my eyes and of course the ship gets the new space logo. The windscreen uses the new Trans-Black and appears only for the second time after the SW Snubfighter. The top section of the engine finds its way into the build and the hexagonal windscreen as air deflectors (I think) to decerelate after an interstellar travel. The mechanism is topped of with a battery pack with an extended battery print.

Conclusion

The space fleet gets two nice additions with these two vehicles. Before I reflect on the sets I will show you the mechanism of 60430, I wrote about so much, in action and with a close up, to see, how it works.

The overall look of the sets is quite appealing to me. As I already said, I like the color palette, because of the White it has a real modern, futuristic look and Sand Blue goes really well with Reddish Orange. Both sets fit well in the theme and add something new to the fleet. The Interstellar Spaceship (60430) is very well shaped with its pointy, slim and dynamic form, which subtly yells 'Speed'. The play feature for the engine is quite nice and together with the sidebuild (drone/jetpack) adds a good play value to the set.

The build was nice, but didn't offer big surprises regarding building techniques. But you shall not forget, that both sets are designed for children. Yet especially with the spaceship this simplicity is astonishingly well executed, that there is no area where I would say that it looks unfinished. Its a really completed set. Same goes for the mechanism. It couldn't be any simpler, but does the job perfectly and smoothly. Its a good example for kids for their own builds, that you don't always need some highly complex mechanism to achieve motion within a Lego set. It can also be thought of a practical lesson on basic physical principles of the direction of a force for children. 

The part selection is ok, nothing really special, but it has some nice pieces. You get a few parts in Reddish Orange and Trans-Purple Opal. Personally, I like the white parts the most, especially the printed ones. Its always nice, when a set doesn't include any stickers, even smaller ones for a very reasonable price. The prints in 60430 are very useful for other builds, too.

All in all, two nice sets with a good 'swoosh' quality.

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Disclaimer: Anything said in this post is the opinion of the author and not the designer.
Parts- and build photographs by Chricki (© 2024 Rebrickable)

19 COMMENTS

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  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Wurger Bricks
    8 months, 3 weeks ago Wurger Bricks Level 15 MOC Designer DESIGNER
    No stickers, superb printed pieces, good design with an awesome price! What more can we ask more. Perfect set to buy a couple to do your own MOCs or alternate builds!
    • Avatar image for Rebrickable user bls128
      6 months, 3 weeks ago bls128 Level 14 PRO
      This price is great too for what you are getting!!
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user RedWolfwere
    8 months, 4 weeks ago RedWolfwere Level 12
    Great space ship, i bought two sets so to be able to build some of the great Alternate builds found here on Rebrickable!
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Kasei66
    11 months, 4 weeks ago Kasei66 Level 7
    Love the new space sets. But for this ship, am I the only one to notice that Lego has cheated a bit here for the engine mecanism? When you look at the box photo, you should be able to push the battery until the roof of the ship is perfectly flat, which is not possible if you follow the instructions. If you remove one grey 2x2 square plate, you can push the battery as far as needed for a flat roof, BUT then moving parts of the engine don’t quite reach their full open position. (I wish I could write that more elegantly, but it seems that my english is a bit rusted…)

    To solve the issue I removed the grey plate, use my finger to push the mecanism to full, and then add the battery

    (also wish I could manage to get the windscreen to fully close, but that’s a recurring issue I think)
    • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Chricki
      11 months, 4 weeks ago Chricki Level 25 Blogger PRO
      You're right. Thanks for pointing that out. I think the box art isn't correct. The last pictures of the instructions show it in the correct way (not completely even) like it is, when built according to the instructions.
      • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Kasei66
        11 months, 4 weeks ago Kasei66 Level 7
        I agree. But, I feel the ship is way better as shown on the box art, it feels weird to me when the battery isn’t fully pushed in. I took some time trying to make it work as it should but I could not find a proper solution…
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user The Undo
    1 year ago The Undo Level 15 MOC Designer PRO
    That ship's a real beauty! Just bought it yesterday :)
    Great review as always!
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user JusTiCe8
    1 year ago JusTiCe8 Level 21 MOC Designer
    NO stickers !!! Finally :) The sticky devil has been defeated in space :). Glad to see the minifigs back in space, it has been a while.

    Great review, there are still a few typos IMHO:
    " simplicity is astonishing well executed " => astonishingly
    " mechanism. I couldn't be any simpler " => It couldn't
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user SniperStarCars
    1 year ago SniperStarCars Level 12 MOC Designer
    Honestly, I love this set, looks so much better than the Artemis line-up.
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Reddish Blue
    1 year ago Reddish Blue Level 12 MOC Designer
    I built the ship 2 weeks ago. As I did not check the box art enough, the truster was a big surprise but a welcome one! I built it with my son who constantly asked what it will be at the rear, then I constantly answered that I don't know yet! =)
    I am very pleased with this wave of city space sets as the Artemis line was a big let down for me after the Mars Exploration.
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user bmwlego
    1 year ago bmwlego Level 6
    I bought the entire line at the LEGO Store this past Friday night.  I just finished building all of them, having built them from smallest set (the polybag reviewed here which I purchased at a stand alone LEGO resale shop called Brick it Again in Congers, NY) and finished the base this morning. 

    If you're a CS fan you will love this line.  The builds are fantastic, and seem like they're AFOL MOCs. The mini robotic builds look great too. 

    The color scheme is beautiful. The sand blue and reddish orange really work well with white and black. Each of the sets has a robotic helper and the new battery tiles. The round 1*1 tiles are also included as extras. 
    Fingers crossed that we get at least 1-2 more waves of these City Space sets. 
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user DubbelDrank[NL]
    1 year ago DubbelDrank[NL] Level 13 MOC Designer
    The 5711 RIGHT shell is new, but the LEFT isn't?
    • Avatar image for Rebrickable user Chricki
      According to the data we got, yes. I was wondering that myself, too. The set I got, still had the old mold in it. Probably the new mold gets in later on. We will see
    • Avatar image for Rebrickable user TobyMac
      Our scraper for inventories shows a new mold, but the old one still pops up in sets. This happens a lot, as LEGO clears out the old stock first before moving over to the new version. Until we get our hands on it, we won't know what the difference between the 2 is.
      Since writing, the left version has shown up in our scraper as well, but it's not spotted in the real world yet.

      For more info, see this help page.
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user M4_Mike
    1 year ago M4_Mike Level 25 MOC Designer PRO
    Nice review. I second the opinion that the spaceship indeed provides some new form factor and colour palette usage. Impressed by the design language.
  • Avatar image for Rebrickable user ekubart
    1 year ago ekubart Level 15 MOC Designer
    I totally agree, especially the interstellar spaceship. I have built this set and it is very good like you have said. Great review and I hope the new technic sets coming up are as good as they look.