 |
 |
 |
10497 LEGO Galaxy Explorer. Wait for discounts before adding this LEGO Spaceship to your collection. Space travel has always captured the human imagination, so it’s no wonder that LEGO has capitalized on this fascination with its space themed sets. LEGO Space sets are not only entertaining to build, but they also inspire the next generation of astronauts and astronomers. With realistic designs, the LEGO space sets make it easy to imagine a future where humanity has taken its first steps into a new frontier. Plus, let’s be honest, who doesn’t enjoy building a rocket ship and blasting off to new worlds? LEGO space sets are a great way to relive childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut, while still enjoying the cosy comforts of home. So, whether you’re a seasoned builder or just starting out, there’s a LEGO set out there for every space lover.
Set Details
Released to celebrate 90 years of LEGO® creations, set 10497 LEGO® Icons Galaxy Explorer, is a nostalgic building experience designed for adults who can experience the excitement of the 1979 Classic 497 LEGO Galaxy Explorer model on a grander scale with this collector’s edition. With 1254 pieces, you can enjoy building and designing the features of this extraordinary spacecraft, including the integrated delta wing setup of the original vessel. You can expect to find a spaceship that rests perfectly on 3 retractable landing legs, includes the practicality of opening rear doors, a retractable ramp to deploy the rover, and the rover compartment located at the tip of the ship with extra tools and an extendable ramp. Also, the internal cockpit provides seating for all four astronauts and living quarters featuring two beds, computer systems, and storage compartments.
This set is a great building experience, but is it also the epic space adventure in terms of investment you’ve been dreaming about? Read on to find out our advice.
| Model Name | Galaxy Explorer |
| Model Number | 10497 |
| Theme | Icons |
| Sub Themes | Space |
| Pieces | 1254 |
| Minifigures | 4 |
| Launch Date | August 2022 |
| Current Status | Available |
| Date Retired | N/A |
| RRP | £90 |
Investment Potential
| Launch RRP | £90 |
| Price Per Piece | £0.07 |
| Launch Price per piece | £0.07 |
| 5th Year Value | £120 |
| Percentage Increase | 33% |
| Expected Annual Growth | 10% |
| Theme Growth | 14% |
| Sub Theme Growth | N/A |
Theme Analysis
The Space sub-theme was introduced into the LEGO Icons theme in 2019 and as yet none of the non-promotional sets have retired so we have little data to go on within the sub-theme.
We have looked at the wider Icons theme which we have always seen very much as a set pickers theme. Overall, the theme has produced annualised returns of 14% but within that there are some very successful sets returning in excess of 20% a year and then some others that are returning below 0%. It really is a theme with greater variance than some others and thus a greater emphasis on finding the right sets.
Some of the better performing Icons sets across the sub-themes are below including LEGO Icons Horizon Express (10233) which has more than tripled in value returning 15% annualised growth and Santa’s Workshop which has increased in value by over 200% showing annualised growth of 19%.
| Set Number | Set Name | Retired Date | RRP | Current Value | Total Growth | Annualised Growth |
| 10252 | Volkswagen Beetle | December 2020 | £75 | £121 | 61% | 21% |
| 10245 | Santa’s Workshop | December 2016 | £60 | £182 | 203% | 19% |
| 10233 | Horizon Express | December 2014 | £80 | £260 | 225% | 15% |
| 10253 | Big Ben | December 2018 | £180 | £326 | 81% | 14% |
Conclusion
This is a hard one to decide with no sets currently retired in the sub-theme. In general “Space” is a category that does quite well in LEGO but even still we would need to see some stronger performance across the wider theme for us to be able to buy this one at RRP. If it’s a set that appeals to you, then we would wait to see if any discounts surface.
