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The LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander is a great highly detailed set for space and Apollo program fans. This set is 1087 pieces and builds fairly quickly. The build itself is split into four sections to make it easy to keep the number of pieces in front of you down. I was able to build the entire set in a few hours including taking time to sort all of the parts in each section.
One unique part of this kit that I have not seen in others is the historical information in the instructions. The instructions start telling you the history behind the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. This information is further expanded by little snippets about the lander relating to what you’re building.
Construction
The build for this kit is broken into four distinct phases. First is the lunar landscape itself, including the flag. Next is the lower portion of the lander. Third is the legs and foil coating to the lander. Finally you build the return stage.
Unlike my build of the bookstore and townhouse, this time I took the time to sort the parts before building. This added some time before the actual build portion. The time spent sorting is well worth it once you start the build though. It more that saves time and frustration looking for pieces.
Lunar Landscape
The Lunar Landscape is made up primarily of large plates. This makes the start of the build fairly quick as you are assembling a large flat structure. Where the build starts to become a little trickier is when you get to the landscape details.
The detailed portion of the build includes pads where the lander will sit, rocks, and craters. These details are made up from multiple small sloped and smooth pieces. When complete you’re left with a great landscape with a space to plant the flag and multiple locations where you can place the astronauts.
The Descent Stage
The nest stage to build is the descent stage. This is the piece of the lander containing the landing rocket, fuel, and experiments. For the LEGO kit this step does not include the landing legs. The overall construction of the descent stage is unique owing to the octagonal design.
As you build the descent stage you will get to place the fuel and oxidizer tanks for the landing engine. You’ll also get to place the camera used to record Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. The Lunar Retroreflector is also stored in the descent stage. Overall this section is full of details that are great to see.
With each of the details you also get accompanying explanations in the instructions. Whether it’s information on the TV camera or the tanks it’s a great peek into the technology needed to land on the Moon.
Lander Legs and Foil
Now that the descent stage is built it needs it’s landing legs and protective foil. This section of the build involved some patience owing to the large number of small pieces. Even so this went together surprisingly fast.
This sections, similar to the descent stage, has a lot of repetition. As such it pays to pay attention to what steps have been completed and how many times. For some parts like the foil it’s hard to mess up. For other sections you may have to backtrack if you accidentally build too many, or not enough of a part.
One place to be especially careful is when attaching the legs. The method of attachment means some of the beams connect close together and can potentially be connected to the wrong place. I accidentally connected all of the legs incorrectly before noticing. While this can be corrected, it is time consuming to do so.
The Ascent Stage
The final phase of the build is the ascent stage. From the number of parts this can seem daunting. Thankfully, like the descent stage, there are a lot of duplication. Once you get started it goes together very quickly.
One thing I really enjoy about the ascent stage is that it’s built into three parts. The middle section and two sides can be separated from each other. This allows you to easily see the interior and the computer displays. It also allows you to place the minifigs without too much contorting.
Finished Set
The finished Lunar Lander is quite a sight to see. Not only is this a highly detailed kit in exterior appearance, it also mimics some of the functionality. The Lander is not attached to the Lunar surface and can easily be picked up to simulate your own Lunar landing. Once landed you can deploy the TV camera to capture your first steps. The astronauts can then go about deploying the Lunar Retroreflector. Once you’re done the ascent stage can separate as you blast back to orbit.
I would recommend this set to anyone who loves space history. The set is highly detailed and will let you recreate the Apollo 11 landing. The instructions contain great historical information about the technology that went into the lander itself. Overall I think this set is a blast to build and play with.
