LEGO 10266 Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander Model Building Kit with Astronaut Minifigures, Collectible Home Décor Gift Idea

Product Information

The Lego NASA Apollo Saturn V is another hugely impressive set, if you’ve got the room to display it. Standing at almost 40 inches (1 meter) high, it’s one of the tallest sets Lego have ever released. It’s a bit of a repetitive build, but the attention to detail and great part-per-piece price ratio make it a strong recommendation from us. Several models of the Lunar Module have been produced, commencing with 367 Space Module with Astronauts from 1975. The latest rendition includes far greater detail than its predecessors and offers more realistic proportions too, measuring 19cm wide and 20cm in height. Furthermore, the spacecraft stands on a dark bluish grey base which depicts the surface of the Moon, forming an attractive display. In all honesty, the argument that prints (or baseplates) would make sets more expensive is plain BS. It just means that TLG would have less of a crazy profit margin. That's all. Two astronauts are included, representing Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Numerous minifigures are intended to depict astronauts from the Apollo program and none are especially effective in my opinion. However, this bulky helmet assembly is certainly a reasonable facsimile of the real suits and I love the metallic gold visor covering the face of each astronaut. Two minifigures and some open studs on the lunar surface let you play out various scenarios of the event. But it doesn’t matter how historically accurate your display is, the scene always looks as exciting as possible.

Furthermore, the minifigures incorporate a new torso, featuring the NASA emblem beside nozzles that deliver oxygen to the wearer. Unfortunately, these nice details are partially concealed when the helmet is attached and the famous Apollo 11 mission patch is also missing. Perhaps that was excluded so the minifigures could represent astronauts from a variety of different missions. Since the set captures the culmination of the lunar mission, the scene has all the attributes of the historic event. First of all, it’s a minifigure’s footprints on the surface of the moon just by a place for a flag. This advanced LEGO set features a detailed replica of the Eagle lunar lander with separate ascent and descent stages, plus a depiction of the lunar surface with crater, footprints and a U.S. flag.

The sides of this section are lavishly clad in drum-lacquered gold tiles before the landing gear, made using predominantly Technic, is attached. There's some clever geometry involved, which we understand was Mike Psiaki's handiwork. Bag number 3 is a real treat. It brings various tiles in metallic gold as well as some other pieces of this color. There are 90 pieces of two shades of gold in the set in total. And I for one see this as simply cheaping out. Like mentioned above, other manufacturers manage to provide high quality prints and affordable sets at the same time, so why shouldn't TLG be able to do so? The answer is, as long as there are people believing those BS arguments TLG can get away with it. Almost five decades have passed since Apollo 11 delivered humans to the surface of the Moon on the 20th of July, 1969. This amazing achievement has inspired numerous LEGO models and 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander looks wonderful in official images, accurately replicating this classic spacecraft design. Once the moon is conquered, both astronauts can return to the module. By removing the front of the stage you have another scenario for displaying the model.

We really dislike how flimsy the set feels towards the end of the build, especially when it seemed like structural integrity was going to be a focus of the build with the Technic pieces. However, if you take your time and are used to building Lego, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions. LEGO space model building set This collectible moon lander model features an elaborate replica of Apollo 11's Eagle lunar module, complete with accessories. The display model comes with separate ascent and descent stages - the descent stage comes with gold-coloured landing pads and panels, an opening camera and laser hatches, and a ladder, while the ascent stage has a detailed interior with room for 2 astronauts. Finished with an Apollo 11 Lunar Lander nameplate. Four landing legs support the spacecraft upon landing. These appear fragile but are connected to the central structure extremely securely, using ball joints and Technic components. Unfortunately, this has eliminated the ability to fold each leg but I think that was a worthy compromise for strength. In addition, sensor probes should extend below the landing pads, although their omission is sensible as the model is intended to be displayed on its base. Of course, a minifigure-scale copy of the spacecraft cannot fit all the structural elements of a real one, but the designing team made their absolute best to make the assembling exciting and insightful. For instance, those white and red tanks inside the lander carry fuel and oxidizer to ignite the fuels, since it is impossible to use fuel without an oxidizer in space. Things like this are particularly impressive!All in all, the set can be assembled in just a couple of hours. Even though some building steps feel a little bit monotonous, the set will leave you wanting for more! Finished model

The top surface of the landing section is a bizarre combination of SNOT (studs-not-on-top) building technique, 2×2 corner tiles and a bulky 10×10 octagonal plate in the very center of the structure. At some point it hard to believe how perfectly all the pieces sit together!

Details

Neil Armstrong activated a television camera while descending the ladder and that important feature is replicated here. Opening a hatch beside the ladder reveals the camera which appears fairly simple but is instantly recognisable. I appreciate the printed tape reels and the white colour scheme distinguishes this television camera from its surroundings, although silver would have been more realistic. However, my favourite details are the minifigure footsteps which are visible along the forward edge of the model. These are absolutely superb, revealing a light bluish grey surface beneath the surrounding dark bluish grey elements. An attachment point for the American flag is also included so you can plant the flag easily, although its position beside the spacecraft is not entirely authentic. New-for-June-2019 decorated elements include an Apollo 11 Lunar lander nameplate and golden elements. The four reaction control system thrusters on each corner aptly utilise a piece first introduced in Classic Space, 3963 steering nozzle, which is new here in dark bluish grey. If you’re keen to expand your Lego NASA collection, there’s a huge amount to choose from. One of our favorites is the Lego NASA Space Shuttle Discovery which is an impressive replica of the legendary ship. It’s a fun build, although it’s very much a display piece. This is emphasized by the fact that it doesn’t come with any minifigures, so your Gravity role-play sessions won’t be possible without a custom George Clooney minifigure, unfortunately.

This collectible model features a highly detailed replica of Apollo 11's Eagle lunar module, plus a depiction of the lunar surface, complete with crater, footprints and a U.S. flag. The descent stage comes with gold-coloured landing pads and panels, opening camera and laser hatches, and a ladder, while the ascent stage has a detailed interior with room for 2 astronauts. Finished with an Apollo 11 Lunar Lander nameplate, this display model makes a great centerpiece for the home or office and provides a challenging and rewarding building experience full of nostalgia. Includes 2 astronaut minifigures with NASA decoration and golden helmets. Oh yes and prints are hideously expensive too. Hence why sets by companies like Cobi or MegaConstrux, which use prints almost exclusively, are so much more expensive than LEGO... The story goes that the first two humans to visit the moon were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The figures in set are just a couple of generic LEGO minifigures in space suits, so it’s up to you if you want to identify them with the real astronauts.There is one simple way to describe this wonderful experience: LEGO Creator Expert 10266 NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander is a set no-one knew we needed. You don’t need to be a fan of space to fall in love with the set. But if you are a fan and you already got LEGO Ideas 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V, please don’t make a huge mistake of leaving the new brilliant addition to the Apollo 11 mission out of your collection. NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander is an outstanding set, matching the high standard established by the recent 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V. The model looks fantastic on display, featuring many realistic details and numerous metallic gold elements that really stand out against the dark lunar surface. I love how the octagonal shape of the descent stage has been designed and the ascent stage looks similarly realistic. If you have already assembled the LEGO Ideas 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V set, get ready to experience a deja-vu while building the lander. Its landing stage has the same octagon structure covered with plates and tiles on each of its eight sides. Even though the building technique differs a lot from those used in the Saturn V set, such structures require a strong dose of repetitive building. Our recommendation: get a partner to build the set together with!