Not-So-Secret Santa Return #2: Angels, In Order

I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday!  Today, I have my second Not-So-Secret Santa return gift to show off.  

This one comes courtesy of Tom over at the wonderful Angels, In Order blog.  I sent Tom a smattering of assorted Angels cards (you can see his post here).  In return, Tom hit me up with this cool 3-in-1 LEGO Creator Space Shuttle set that I wasn't familiar with at all!

For those that don't know, the main idea behind the Creator 3-in-1 line is that you get instructions inside the box to use the included pieces to make one of three different models.  It's a great way to encourage replayability with a box of LEGO bricks for kids...and often the models shows different ways of visualizing what to do with the same bunch of pieces.  

Case in point for this set:  You can build the space shuttle or you can use those pieces to build an astronaut instead (or even a flying space jet).  All of the builds look pretty good to me, this will definitely be a fun one to break open with my son someday soon!

The fact that the main shuttle build opens up to launch the satellite is especially neat, especially for a model of this size (and part count).  Back when I was a kid, I had LEGO 1682:  Space Shuttle Launch which was one of the biggest sets I ever owned.  

The set Tom sent me is a great throwback to my childhood!  The shuttle in #1682 also opens up to launch a satellite.  Fun fact about me:  I still own this set...and it's sitting (still built) on one of the shelves in my man cave as we speak.

Many thanks to Tom for this particular package!  I still have more Not-So-Secret Santa mailings to show off in the near future so stay tuned.