⌘ K
"The Galaxy Explorer (10497) earns a strong BrickScore of 85.6 across 30 reviews — an overwhelmingly positive reception that praises its value, playability, and build experience, with minifigures being the only aspect that doesn't quite match the rest of the package."
Reviewers across the board give the Galaxy Explorer high marks, with value for money and playability standing out as its strongest suits. The build experience is broadly celebrated as a nostalgic, satisfying journey, though a small number of reviewers rated it slightly lower than the rest. Parts value is also considered excellent for the price point. The set generates near-universal enthusiasm, making disagreement the exception rather than the rule.
Where they split: The build experience was the one area where reviewers split noticeably — most gave it top marks, but a few rated it meaningfully lower, suggesting the building process may feel more routine to experienced builders while still delighting newcomers and nostalgic fans.
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Unlock with Collector or Reseller"the 90th Anniversary gift for every LEGO classic Space fan"
RacingBrick
"I could not, I still could not be happier than I am with the core set and the ability to get this out of it as an option, or the ability to get a second one, end up with this, and still have a bunch of nice, useful lefto…"
JANGBRiCKS"i think a lot bigger than probably most of you would expect it to be in fact in the instructions it makes note that this is exactly one and a half times bigger than the original galaxy explorer that was released in the l…"
Solid Brix Studios
"the build experience for this is like you know it shows that these Lego designers really really know what they're doing but it's not unnecessarily complex"
JANG's LEGO Reviews
"If you love building Spaceships, you'll have your mind blown by the build experience."
Jay's Brick Blog
"celebrate 90 years of play Lego decided to give us a Nostalgia overload by updating fan favorite 497 Galaxy Explorer from 1979 and making 10497 Galaxy Explorer the set reference"
Tiago Catarino"the 90th Anniversary gift for every LEGO classic Space fan"
"I could not, I still could not be happier than I am with the core set and the ability to get this out of it as an option, or the ability to get a second one, end up with this, and still have a bunch of nice, useful leftover pieces."
"i think a lot bigger than probably most of you would expect it to be in fact in the instructions it makes note that this is exactly one and a half times bigger than the original galaxy explorer that was released in the late 70s early 80s"
"the build experience for this is like you know it shows that these Lego designers really really know what they're doing but it's not unnecessarily complex"
"If you love building Spaceships, you'll have your mind blown by the build experience."
"celebrate 90 years of play Lego decided to give us a Nostalgia overload by updating fan favorite 497 Galaxy Explorer from 1979 and making 10497 Galaxy Explorer the set reference"
A nostalgic masterpiece that brilliantly reimagines classic Space LEGO with modern techniques and impressive value, but suffers from significant structural fragility issues that frustrate builders.
LEGO.com4.8Amazon4.7
