Why Focus on the Milky Way?

The LEGO Group appears to be reviving their Space theme with vigor in 2024. It’s not merely a singular theme; it has integrated into many others, such as LEGO City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Technic, and yes, even LEGO ART. This multifaceted approach is so rare that I struggle to recall a similar instance from the Danish toy giant’s history. LEGO fans worldwide were taken aback, but the reception has been largely positive for these Space-themed sets.

However, the Milky Way set presents a different scenario. While it's easy to get excited about rockets and spaceships, persuading someone to invest in a brick-built galaxy is a much more complex task. We don’t have clear insights into why LEGO has suddenly shifted focus towards Space. I could speculate endlessly about how recent events and a potential new space race have inspired LEGO's designers, but instead, I’ll just share what intrigued me about this set: it’s visually appealing, unique, can be hung on a wall, and I have an affinity for all things cosmic.

Is that a justifiable reason to spend $200 on a LEGO ART set? Maybe not. Is it enough to dedicate seven hours to stacking 3,091 tiny bricks? Perhaps not. But if you share my passion for Space and enjoy a challenge, then this set quickly becomes essential.

Constructing Space with LEGO

Creating something from nothing may sound counterintuitive, yet that’s somewhat reflective of how Space itself came to be—regardless of your beliefs about its origin. Despite the vast emptiness, we find ourselves amidst this stunning galaxy known as the Milky Way. If you're a LEGO aficionado, you can now take home a substantial box that, after seven hours of work, transforms into an impressive representation of our galaxy.

I must take a moment to discuss the box art. It instantly signals a Space theme and suggests that it's meant to represent the Milky Way, even without the bold text. However, those knowledgeable about astronomy might notice that the depicted shape doesn’t quite match the typical images taken on a clear night. The Milky Way appears more elongated, resembling a linear cluster of stars. So, which is it? A spiral or a line? The answer lies in the fact that it can be both.

From our vantage point on Earth, we observe the Milky Way as a line. According to Dr. Alastair Gunn from BBC Science, there are indicators in the stars that lead us to believe it’s a disc-shaped spiral galaxy with a bulging center. The Andromeda Galaxy is another spiral galaxy on a collision course with the Milky Way, but for us, that "soon" translates to about 4 billion years in the future. It does provoke thought about how much Elon Musk understands about Space, considering he’s focused on Mars rather than exploring new galaxies. Ah, the quirks of tech entrepreneurs.

Another unique feature of this set is the diverse pieces found in all 31 bags. You’ll encounter the most unexpected items. While the colors align with the theme, the types of bricks may leave you questioning their relevance. Hearts, cherries, and various whimsical shapes are included—would you expect these in a galaxy model? Neither would I.

This set is equipped with six instruction manuals, making it ideal for collaborative building. The distribution of bags to manuals is as follows:

• Manual 1: bags 1 through 3 — pieces for the entire frame.
• Manual 2: bags 4 through 8 — pieces for Milky Way slice 1/5
• Manual 3: bags 9 through 14 — pieces for Milky Way slice 2/5
• Manual 4: bags 15 through 20 — pieces for Milky Way slice 3/5
• Manual 5: bags 21 through 26 — pieces for Milky Way slice 4/5
• Manual 6: bags 27 through 31 — pieces for Milky Way slice 5/5

Each slice is constructed atop 16×16 stud deep baseplates, referred to as “art plates,” which are common in LEGO ART sets. Three baseplates are used per slice, interconnected with green and red Technic pins. The slices are fastened to the frame using short black Technic axles.

Interestingly, this set does not use any SNOT techniques; it primarily focuses on brick stacking. In contrast to The World Map set, where rounded tiles were color-mapped, I would argue that while the Milky Way appears tedious, it is far less monotonous. The diverse colors and piece combinations kept me engaged throughout the build.

The color gradient, which transitions to a 3D effect towards the bulge, is likely to catch the eye of most builders. The void employs transparent purple tiles, a choice I appreciate. Pure black would have rendered the result too dark, and the inclusion of transparent purple tiles is a delightful rarity. For parts collectors, this set offers excellent value.

The closer you get to the center of the swirl, the lighter the color palette becomes, culminating in an all-white peak adorned with numerous white flower stems—another surprising use of parts.

Hidden Gems

This set includes a few Easter eggs, although not as many as those found in Gotham City or the Avengers Tower sets.

At the bottom left, you'll find a brick-built Gaia space telescope, which piques my interest since it was launched on my birthday in 2013—a notable achievement for the European Space Agency.

To indicate Earth's position in the Milky Way, a glow-in-the-dark piece is included along with a printed tile stating “You are here.” According to the LEGO model, we are situated about halfway between the center and the galaxy's edge.

The cosmic details in the Milky Way LEGO set are truly breathtaking.

A whimsical Easter egg is a small round green printed brick that looks like an alien. While I can’t decipher its significance, I like to think of it as a nod to the X-Files poster that reads “I want to believe.” Surely, we can’t be alone in the universe!

Another quirky element are the small binoculars scattered throughout the set. Are they meant to point to things we’ve already identified? Initially perplexed, I discovered that the designer simply intended to inject some fun into the void—much like the whimsical whisks included!

Adjacent to the Crab Nebula (represented by an orange piece) is Trappist-1 (depicted as a purple ice-cream shaped object), a dwarf star located roughly 40 light-years from the Sun. It’s comparable in size to Jupiter and is orbited by seven Earth-sized exoplanets. Below that, you will find the Pleiades or Messier 45 (illustrated by a blue crystal piece), the closest open star cluster to Earth.

The speckled disc-shaped pieces symbolize globular clusters. In the Milky Way alone, we have already identified 150 of these dense star clusters.

Finally, we have the Pillars of Creation, first discovered in 1920 in the Eagle Nebula. Located a mere 5,700 light-years away, it sounds like a fantastic destination for a weekend trip!

Seven Hours Later...

For someone unaccustomed to building with LEGO, this may feel like an eternity. Yet, you will end up with a stunning piece of LEGO ART that resembles the Milky Way. While not on the same scale as the actual Milky Way, this set is sizeable once completed, measuring 40x65 cm—requiring ample wall space for display. It’s not overly heavy, but you’ll need two nails for secure hanging. The hooks on the back of the set are positioned about 25.5 cm apart, near the top edge of the frame, so ensure you drill your holes accurately!

After considering various locations, I decided to place it in my growing LEGO corner in the bedroom. It looks incredible alongside my Hokusai, Van Gogh, and Amazing Spider-Man sets, with room for at least one more LEGO ART piece.

The Milky Way set stands out as one of the best LEGO offerings for sparking interest in STEM. It's far more than just a decorative piece; it serves as an engaging educational tool. Truly brilliant!

For those interested in understanding the fascinating science behind the Milky Way, LEGO has produced an inspiring, roughly one-hour podcast available for free (registration required on the site, along with a QR code scan from the 6th page of the PDF), even for those who haven’t purchased the set. While it might not persuade you to spend $200 on a box of plastic bricks, it will deepen your appreciation for the vastness of the universe, our galaxy, art, and human achievements in space exploration.

Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes, blogs, and books. **Author*. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer! Read my Hello story here! Subscribe for more stories about LEGO, tech, coding, and accessibility! For my less frequent readers, I also write about random bits and writing.*