Review: LEGO 31152 Space Astronaut

December 17, 2023 | 6

2024 is set to be a momentous year for LEGO as Space is being set-up as massive passion point that spans across multiple LEGO themes.

LEGO have grouped together sets across Creator, DreamZzz, City, Friends, Technic and more that all have Space in common, and you’ll be able to identify them by a grey strip on the box, along with a new Classic Space logo variant.

Creator 3-in-1’s entry to Space is 31152 Space Astronaut, an out of this world set that goes where no set has gone before with not one, not two but three stellar builds in one set. While the Space Astronaut is the primary model, you also get to build an adorable Space Dog, and Space Viper Jet that’s secretly a nod to a LEGO Spaceship pioneer.

Let’s jump into this review where I take you through all three 31152 Space Astronaut builds and when you’re done, I can guarantee that you’ll want to add this set to your shopping basket come the 1st of January 2024.

31152 Space Astronaut will be available from LEGO.com, in-store or most toy stores from 1 January 2024 onwards.

Special thanks to LEGO for providing this set for this review.

LEGO 31152 Space Astronaut Set Details

Set Name: Space Astronaut
Set number: 31152
Pieces: 647 pieces
Retail Price: US$54.99 / AU$89.99 / £44.99 / €49,99 / CAD$69.99
Theme: Creator 3-in-1
Release Date: 1 January 2024
Set Designers: TBD

LEGO Creator 3-in-1 has long been the most “LEGO” theme of all thanks to its core premise of using basic bricks and elements to craft some incredibly inventive builds.

You’re also given the choice of building 2 alternate models, a nod to LEGO’s historical practice of including back of the box alternate models in vintage sets, which invited you to take sets apart and rebuild them into other things.

In this review, I’ll take you through the two alternate builds first, followed by the primary 31152 Space Astronaut build.

Space Viper Jet

We start off with the Space Viper Jet, a futuristic Spaceship that’s also an homage to the Vic Viper. I must apologise as I left off a double cheese slope from one of the wings in all of the photos – a mistake I only realised when I edited the photos and already disassembled the build.

Vic Vipers was the name of a ship in the Gradius video game, and is a type of spacecraft that has a signature design – two parallel wings that extend from the sides of the cockpit, and flare out at the back of the ship.

Back in the nascent days of the AFOL (adult fan of LEGO) days when groups of LEGO fans were using the internet to connect with each other and share creations, an AFOL called nnenn aka Nate Nielsen popularised the Vic Viper MOC, and created all sorts of beautiful Vic Viper spaceships. Sadly, Nate passed away in 2010, which shocked the LEGO World but his impact on Spaceship MOCs endures till this day.

Read nnenn’s euology here for more on his impact on the LEGO Fan Community.

This alternate model, aptly named the Space Viper Jet is a true Vic Viper ship, and boy is it gorgeous, with a sleek silhouette, and a very attractive white colours scheme punctuated by blue, grey and a dramatic drum-lacquered gold domed cockpit.

If you love spaceships, this modern take on a Vic Viper just hits all the right spots. It looks imposing, fast and is incredibly swooshable.

It looks great from every angle and is further accentuated by the display stand, which allows it to be posed in a dramatic stance, cutting through space at an angle.

LEGO’s Creator 3-in-1 theme last snuck in a Vic Viper as an alternate build with 31107 Space Rover Explorer in 2021, and I’m glad to see this trend continue.

This is a lovely homage to nnenn’s legacy, and on its own, it’s a very competent and satisfying ship that’s worthy to be displayed as a primary model all on its own.

Space Dog

My favourite alternate build has to be this Space Dog. It’s encapsulates all that’s great about Creator 3-in-1 and has LEGO showing off its sense of irreverence and playfulness.

What’s more Spacey than a Dog in a Spacesuit, wagging its tail because it’s such a good interstellar boy?

One of the things I really like about the build is that the golden visor also works in-scale here and can be closed fully, which is handy when you need to take it for spacewalks.

Like the other models, the Space Dog also has a stand to display it on so that it looks like it’s floating in zero gravity.

How cute is this face peeking from under the gold visor!

The Space Dog is also well-equipped for spacewalks, with its very own set of airtanks!

Here’s the back view.

You almost need to buy a second copy of this set as I think the Space Dog will look awesome displayed next to the Astronaut, especially if you can use the leftover elements to fashion a space-leash – an important necessity to tether the Space Dog to the Astronaut and prevent it floating off into space.

This is the goodest space boy, and it’s an absolute joy to build and display.

Space Astronaut

The Creator Astronaut is the primary model and its a thing of cosmic beauty.

I’ll cut straight to the chase, the design is absolutely sensational and just oozes display presence. The✋ techniques are subtle, with clever use of the LEGO element library to sculpt the shape, and at the same time still maintain a high level of articulation that it’s effectively a Brick-built Mech.

If LEGO released this set as part of the Icons theme, with the super serious black box, it wouldn’t look out of place at all – that’s how solid this Astronaut is.

There are just so many nice details everywhere, and I especially love how the puffy shape of the Astronaut has been brought to life with LEGO bricks. There’s lovely texture, angles and curves everywhere and is a feast for the eyes from nearly every angle.

The Astronaut is ready for spacewalks thanks to an Astronaut Propulsion Unit that’s attached to its back. It’s a fairly chunky unit and there are some nice details such as a joystick and a control panel on each hand.

It’s very chunky and gives the Astronaut some much needed heft. Combined with the display stand, which orients the Astronaut at an angle, like its floating lazily in zero gravity.

If there’s one excruciatingly annoying flaw in the set, it’s during the construction of the Astronaut Propulsion Unit. During the build, you’re stacking elements on top of each other, building upwards but because there isn’t enough to secure the Bricks in place during the build, I constantly found it exploding into pieces as I was trying to lock the bricks down.

This was incredibly annoying, and despite me taking extra care during the build, i still manage to break the structure 6 times which was really frustrating.

I can’t believe this got past quality control, because I can imagine plenty of younger fans, and even more experienced builders getting to this stage and seeing the Propulsion Unit exploder over and over again.

The Astronaut does look pretty skinny without the Propulsion Unit.

Oh and the best part about the Astronaut? It’s secretly a Mech!

Hidden inside the golden visor is a little cockpit, complete with control panels!

There’s no minifigure included in the set, but feel free to pop in a Classic Space Astronaut or other Space-themed minifigure. Unfortunately the minifigure needs to sit flush in the seat, so it can’t have airtanks on, but I guess it’s safe and an airtight enclosure.

There is a reasonable amount of articulation, but don’t expect it to do any intermediate or advanced yoga poses.

What I liked:

• One of the best Space-themed Creator models where all 3 options look fantastic
• Space Astronaut mode makes for an incredible display piece
• Space Dog and Vic Viper are really fun builds
• Creator 3-in-1 format really allows the potential of LEGO to shine

What I didn’t like: 

• Astronaut Propulsion Unit is incredibly fragile during build and very frustrating
• A minifigure would’ve been a nice inclusion

Final Thoughts:

LEGO could’ve easily taken this 31152 Space Astronaut design, turned it into an Icons set (plus added a price premium) and it would have still been a home run.

Instead, LEGO decided to go above and beyond, dropping this into Creator 3-in-1, and in doing so, truly allows the build to shine as you get three super-fun Space-themed models at your disposal.

I already know I’m going to buy at least one more as I want to pair the Astronaut with the Space Dog for display, alongside my other NASA-themed sets like the Saturn V Rocket and Lunar Lander.

I loved how this set struck a great balance behind the building experience, and also displayability thanks to the stands for each model which really augments how you display it. It’s a very polished and advanced concept that you’d expect from a LEGO Icons set.

Unfortunately, the fragile Astronaut Propulsion Unit did put a slight dampener on my enjoyment, and I do wish a minifigure was included – even a generic City Astronaut would’ve been a nice inclusion, especially as the Astronaut has a space for a minifigure to pilot!

This is a sensational set and and out of this world building and display experience that LEGO Space fans will 100% enjoy. No matter which model you choose, they all make terrific display models and this set represents a more “grown-up” Creator 3-in-1, which I really welcome.

Put this on your wishlist on 1 January 2024, because 31152 Space Astronaut is going to skyrocket in popularity thanks to the set’s versatility, sense of humour and display presence.

Build [4] – Really fun varied builds for all 3 models, so much so that I want to buy 3 sets to display them all at once
Real Value [3] – Feels a little bit on the pricier side, but thankfully, you can expect modest discounts on Creator 3-in-1 at retail stores
Innovation [4] – Fantastic concept tying into the wider Space theme, as well as the inclusion of stands to boost the displayability
Coolness [5] – Space is always cool, and the Astronaut, Vic Viper and Space Dog are just so fun to display and build.
Keepability [4] – The Astronaut is a really solid build that you can easily display next to other Space sets, but Creator 3-in-1 really encourages you to just build and modify existing sets, so don’t get too attached to one particular model!

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Thanks for reading this short review of 31152 Space Astronaut

31152 Space Astronaut will be available from LEGO.com, in-store or most toy stores from 1 January 2024 onwards.

If you plan on purchasing 31152 Space Astronaut please consider using the affiliate links found in the post to support the blog, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.

What do you think of the Creator Space Astronaut? Which model is your favourite?

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