I did not build the Galaxy Explorer into its second alternate form. There are two reasons for this. The first, more practical reason is that my kids wanted to help out with this build, and they made it clear that they wanted to build the full Galaxy Explorer (or as they called it, the “Four Ship”, since it can seat four minifigures).
But even if they hadn’t gotten involved, I’m not sure I’d have built it.
For context, the second variant set is supposed to be a remake/homage to set #924 (Space Cruiser):
And here’s what the variant looks like:
Here’s a another shot of a real, finished model (it’s the one on the far left):
In my opinion, both versions of this set are a little too close in design to their respective versions of the Galaxy Explorer. They even share most of the same gimmicks as their larger siblings, including having a little rover and a rear cargo hold.
If I were building replicas of the original sets, I’d do the Space Cruiser in a heartbeat. But considering how much work is involved in these larger, adult oriented sets, I didn’t feel like it was worth the effort to do yet another build that I would have to then take apart after snapping a handful of photos.
Instead, at the time of this writing, the full Galaxy Explorer is assembled, and it is unlikely that I’ll be building the Space Cruiser anytime soon. I’ll admit that part of me regrets my decision. Specifically, I’m thinking that Space Cruiser would have given off enough of the same vibes and gimmicks while being smaller and easier to hold. But in the end, it’s still not worth taking apart what I’ve already done.