Lego and space, a match made in heaven (Q&A)

A model from 'Lego Space: Building the Future,' by Peter Reid and Tim Goddard.

(Credit: Peter Reid,Lego Space, Tim Goddard)

If there was ever a match made in heaven, it was probably Lego and space.

For years, the Danish toy company has turned again and again to the stars for inspiration, producing by one estimate more than 300 different space-related sets.

The future of space -- in Legos (pictures)

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With those dozens and dozens of sets as a starting point, Peter Reid and Tim Goddard, both huge Lego fans, decided they needed to put their own spin on the genre. And with "Lego Space: Building the Future," they've done just that.

Their new book, which comes out this week, presents a fictional future space society, filled with interstellar battlecruisers, orbital outposts, all-new worlds, robots, space pirates, and much more -- and all built entirely from Legos.

Reid and Goddard designed and built each and every model in the book, not surprising given their backgrounds. Reid is contributor to "The Lego Play Book," and his Lego Exo suit, which appears in the book, got more than 10,000 votes on Lego Cuusoo, a system that allows fans to promote independent projects for possible manufacture by Lego. For his part, Goddard contributed to the best-selling "Lego Ideas Book" and "The Lego Play Book," and also has worked in product development for Lego.

CNET caught up with Reid by email to ask how and why he and Goddard created their new book, and why Lego and space are such a terrific match. The following is an edited version of that discussion.