There have been decades of amazing LEGO Space sets – and some amazing headgear elements over the years. Here are our favourite helmets and surprise head friends from Space and its associated subthemes.
Are you a long-time LEGO hobbyist who’s seen the original 497 Galaxy Explorer from 1979? Or did you just start with last year’s spectacular remake, 10497 Galaxy Explorer? Both are staffed with four helmeted LEGO Spacemen.
The remake faithfully captures the simplicity of the cherished helmet (with no age-related cracks, of course), but what about the rest of the LEGO Group’s intergalactic minifigures? Who has the coolest headgear in the LEGO Group’s massive storytelling solar system?
5. Craniac’s Helmet from Space Police 3
Courtesy of Brickset
Here’s a helmet with more bite than bark. Craniac, a little-known villain from Space Police 3, donned an imposing dark red helmet as they committed crime sprees and launched solo assaults against the Space Police force. Its imposing, slanted eyes evoke images of General Grievous from Star Wars, while its four teeth are swept down in front of Craniac’s face. The figure and helmet are both very hard to find 13 years later.
This headpiece was first featured on the Skull Twins in 2009, but Craniac’s helmet from 5985 Space Police Central in 2010 comes in a more stunning dark red colour. If at first glance it seems this helmet is more of a full head, guess again – beneath lies their arachnid-like face, complete with jagged teeth and multiple orange eyes.
4. The Spyrius Droid’s trans-clear helmet from Spyrius
Courtesy of Brickset
As cool as Craniac’s rich dark red helmet was, it can’t beat the Spyrius Droid’s trans-clear helmet for sheer coolness and nostalgia. Sure, it’s the classic spaceman helmet style in a unique colour (a different piece than what they were using in the late 1980s – more on that later) but that’s enough to add unique flair to an already cool minifigure. The trans-clear helmet appeared once again in Insectoids for the character Gigabot, but it first appeared in Spyrius in 1994.
It could be interpreted as a force field protecting the droid’s CPU (brain) or as a way for Spyrius to easily keep track of their droid’s condition and moving parts with no need for disassembly. The amazing printing on the Spyrius Droid was uncommon for its time, yet trans-clear headgear is something we rarely see even today – possibly due to modern stability standards.
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3. Zotaxian Alien Helmet with Mechanical Pattern from UFO
Courtesy of Brickset
This chunky helmet featured some elements that were unique to its time. There’s ribbing and detail along the top and sides, and a fantastic print on the crown and slanted face. It’s not something seen commonly in LEGO minifigures, especially not at that time in the company’s history. Just three years ago with the Spyrius theme we had motorcycle helmets for every minifigure.
Gray Overlord Alpha Draconis is easily the most striking with his pure black helmet. Best of all, the eye holes are open, letting you show off some of the UFO minifigures’ detailed face printing. The black goes exceptionally well with the gold detailing, making this a sought-after addition to the theme.
2. Alien Clinger from Alien Conquest
Alien Conquest’s grossest element soars into the top five with gusto. This grubby, slimy alien also serves as a particularly disgusting piece of headgear. There’s lots of detail to go around, with dripping mouthparts, a single eye stalk and swirling tentacles. Unlike the other pieces of headgear on this list, it also serves as its own character.
The Alien Conquest range was a solid theme in its own right. From the heavily armoured and heavily armed vehicles like the mobile base in 7066 Earth Defense HQ to the spindly alien craft the ADU opposes, there were a lot of great building opportunities. The minifigures were amassable yet highly-detailed, making a headgear piece like the Alien Clinger pure icing on the cake.
1. The Killer Visor/Helmet Combo from Ice Planet 2002
Courtesy of Brickset
The Ice Planet 2002 visors and helmets are not only the coolest entry on this list – they’re the coldest, too. For the first-place winner, we go back to the simplicity of 1993, a year before Spyrius, with a basic white helmet and a unique, transparent-orange visor with antenna. Like the Spyrius Droid, the helmet is like those seen up until the late 1980s but with a thicker chinstrap to avoid breakages.
There’s ample nostalgia for this theme (even a small internet meme around transparent orange chainsaws), something the LEGO Group had some fun with by including an Ice Planet 2002-themed ice cream shop in 71741 Ninjago City Gardens. The simple white helmet matches the neon glow of the visor perfectly, which can be raised and lowered much like a welder’s mask. That’s it. It’s a perfect match to a theme that looks as lit up as an arcade cabinet – and the number one pick on this list.
What are some of your favourite pieces of headgear from classic and modern LEGO Space? Stay on this frequency for more great Blocks articles. And get the most in-depth, detailed LEGO features in the magazine.