Artemis Space Launch System discovered!
Posted by Huw,
A hitherto unknown Icons set has been discovered in the wild in the LEGO store at Taipei airport!
The 3,601 piece 10341 Artemis Space Launch System looks to be a spectacular display model, far surpassing previous NASA sets in that regard, in my opinion.
It's not known when it will be officially launched (pun intended), but presumably it will be imminently given its premature appearance on the Asian island.
As for its price, we can only guess at this stage, based on piece count, that it'll be around $299 / £279. Let us know what you're expecting to pay in the comments.
177 likes
82 comments on this article
That’s a great launchpad.
Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?
That's one giant leap for Lego kind.
@Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
Looking at the parts to gauge size I worry 92176 will be a bit big?
Wow, looks fantastic
@Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
No, 92176 is double the height.
Well damn. I don't know where I'll put it, but I 100% need it.
I love space and rockets and exploration. But, that thing looks like the Eifel Tower. Will I have to give them my first born?
@lost_scotsman said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
Looking at the parts to gauge size I worry 92176 will be a bit big?"
I concur. Taking part 4588 (the 1x1 round with wings near the top) as a standard measure, functionally 1 cm when building) as a unit of length for scaling. That part measures about 0.3 cm on my phone screen, while the distance from the top of the rocket to the base of the support structure is 18.4 cm. 18.4 cm*1.0/0.3=61.3 cm, approximately, or about 25 inches. 92176 is 39 inches. They are not to the same scale, or even close.
@followsclosely said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
No, 92176 is double the height."
So we need to buy 2 Artemis launch system and combine them?
@margulies said:
" @followsclosely said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
No, 92176 is double the height."
So we need to buy 2 Artemis launch system and combine them?"
You'd need to buy/build one of the SLS MOCs to have one in the same scale as the Saturn V. Buying two of this new set wouldn't be that much use if that's your goal.
The rumor is $260 USD, May 15.
30+ stickers. Oh joy
"At this stage", unintended pun?
"looks to be a spectacular display model, far surpassing previous NASA sets in that regard"
Idk, I find that claim difficult to believe when Apollo V is one of the best sets ever lol
(Still looks cool tho)
@Ridgeheart said:
"I don't see the reddish orange airlock-piece, though. It is decided: this is not a Space-set."
The Space-themed DreamZzz set (71475) has no airlocking piece either and it is still officially part of the overarching theme. However, this one has no silver Space-branding on its box. It is decided: this is not a Space set.
This gives me Eiffel Tower vibes with all these bar connections
No, but I like it.
"...premature appearance on the Asian island."
I'm going to be that guy who's going to be publicly appreciative that this wasn't phrased as "Chinese island." (Nitpick: if we're going by Taiwan's official name, and then I'm just appreciative that it's not a PRC island.)
2024 really the year for Lego space innit. Nice set though i'm not getting it.
Interesting that this leak can be reported on by affiliated Lego sites.
@MegaBlocks said:
"Interesting that this leak can be reported on by affiliated Lego sites."
It was leaked because someone photographed it on a store shelf in Taipei airport as they were passing through, i.e. publicly accessible, anyone could see and maybe even buy it.
At that point the cat has well and truly left the bag behind, and you'd have to be Wizards of the Coast to try and reunite the two.
@iwybs said:
"The rumor is $260 USD, May 15."
the article says $299.99 USD. Which makes a lot more sense
@DaLegoNerd1 said:
" @iwybs said:
"The rumor is $260 USD, May 15."
the article says $299.99 USD. Which makes a lot more sense"
The article says that's a guess.
Heh, I saw the Reddit post about this and the poster's like 'wow such a cool set, have you guys seen it before?' while the mods are worried about it since it could be a leak and everyone else is joking about they didn't know it existed before.
@iwybs said:
"The rumor is $260 USD, May 15."
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was double
@MegaBlocks said:
"Interesting that this leak can be reported on by affiliated Lego sites."
It was deemed to be a legitimate leak.
It's a very different scale to Saturn V. Based on this photo I estimate that the rocket is ~60cm/ 2ft tall, including the platform it's ~68cm. That makes the scale 1:160.
The Saturn V set is 100cm tall, at a scale of 1:110.
Looks like an impressive set all the same, though parts of it may be a bit repetitive to build.
I would like this, but I know for a fact I won't be able to afford it, which is a shame.
@whiteghost said:
" It is decided: this is not a Space set."
Definitely a set I wouldn't have space for.
I'm waiting for the SpaceX Starship with exploding function.
I'm only disappointed with what seems like multiple stickers. Ugh. Otherwise it looks great.
@margulies said:
" @followsclosely said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
No, 92176 is double the height."
So we need to buy 2 Artemis launch system and combine them?"
With 2 you will only double the height. To double the width and depth you will need 8.
And another set for the "Ooh, if only I had the space (pun intended, in this case)" list. As for the price, one thing we can be sure of is that it won't be free; after all, there's no such thing as a free launch.
I think it looks great, but I will stick with my 21309.
I wonder how it compares to 60351.
The rocket looks to be about 1/3 taller than that set.
Tbh I'm probably going to skip this one. The SLS doesn't have the same status as the other Space Icons sets.
I might pick it up in a few years, if Lego ever slow down with the volume of high value sets they're putting out.
Poor minifigure selection. Why does Lego hate fans?
And those helmet holes would allow space air in. Those astronauts would get space asthma super quick and die. Just not realistic.
MandR really needs to make a video about this
Or—more likely—seven videos about this
I'd love to see a space shuttle mod for this set! I can't say I have much love for the SLS, especially a model that isn't to scale with the Saturn V set. But a space shuttle on the launch pad? Now that gets my nostalgia going in just the right way.
Wow
Frothing at the mouth... this looks beautiful!
@Rob42 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Interesting that this leak can be reported on by affiliated Lego sites."
It was leaked because someone photographed it on a store shelf in Taipei airport as they were passing through, i.e. publicly accessible, anyone could see and maybe even buy it.
At that point the cat has well and truly left the bag behind, and you'd have to be Wizards of the Coast to try and reunite the two."
To be fair, Lego has a long and storied history of infuriating yet laughable attempts to "put the cat back into the bag."
At the end of the day the only criteria Lego has for if something is a "leak" or not is "do we want this to be publicly available at this exact moment?" I certainly feel for sites like this one that have to try to comply with policies as capricious as that.
I suppose I will eventually get this - as I am definitely the target demographic for that - always depending on a reasonable price in Canada (with its currency near its lowest point in the last 4 years)
What annoys me the most in this set - for what we can see, the diagonal support beams on the LUT do not seem to be attached in any way to the above platforms - they just seem to float there holding nothing. I.e. the structural integrity of this tower must be quite weak (fine for display, not so much for play I would guess)
Building the four corner of the tower with round parts (Technic) is also a serious short cut (basically cutting the corners round by a wide margin). It is significantly harder to do it with square parts (as the real thing) and making the geometry works. The MLP has also been built to use the least amount of parts, sacrificing a lot in details (there are none and the bottom fences are way too big for 1:110 let alone for 1:160). But overall, I would say, it looks the part and by being not so huge (32*40 studs roughly), it should be accessible to more people.
LUT: Launch Umbilical Tower
MLP: Mobile Launch Platform
The nozzles for the SRBs (Solid Rocket Boosters-the big white things) are simply upturned barrel pieces-the same as for 60351 Might help figure out the scale
Holy moly!
While I’m genuinely impressed by all the scale boffins formulas, I think our landscape would be more of a
‘Chase McCain is hanging on the side at blast off while the X-Men blackbird hovers nearby unable to help him anymore’ scale.
> Taipei airport
Technically this is Taoyuan airport (outside of Taipei), not Songshan airport (which is not far from the city center).
Buying such large sets in international departures sounds a bit strange, it would mean checking it at the desk and hoping it's still intact when you land. Maybe they're more to advertise the sets' existence, hoping people will buy them when they get back home?
Definitely getting. That will be my upcoming birthday sorted.
CURSE YOU LEGO!!!!!!!!
I’ve already sold a kidney in readiness for 10333 Lord Of The Rings: Barad-Dûr
Hmmmm….. my wife still has 2……..
Looks excellent... been waiting a while for a follow-up to 358-1!
"Let us know what you're expecting to pay in the comments."
Much less than whatever the retail price ends up being.
This looks pretty good! I wonder how tall it'll be compared to the Saturn V.
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
""...premature appearance on the Asian island."
I'm going to be that guy who's going to be publicly appreciative that this wasn't phrased as "Chinese island." (Nitpick: if we're going by Taiwan's official name, and then I'm just appreciative that it's not a PRC island.)"
I got the opposite impression. Huw only mentioned the city Taipei, and said it was on an "Asian island" which seems quite dismissive.
How it was leaked is hilarious. A person on Reddit was passing through Taipei airport. He saw this set in the Lego store and made a post, saying they've never seen this set before and now they want it!
Looks stellar.
Definitely a must get for me.
Saturn V seems to be bigger I'm guessing?
Definitely need an umbilical for that. Some knock off brands have some cool launch tower and crawler. Gonna' check those out now.
@legoDad42 said:
"Looks stellar.
Definitely a must get for me.
Saturn V seems to be bigger I'm guessing?
Definitely need an umbilical for that. Some knock off brands have some cool launch tower and crawler. Gonna' check those out now."
Saturn V is roughly 50% bigger (so the guy who proposed 1:160 is pretty much spot on). This launch pad is 32 studs wide. For comparison, a mobile launch platform (MLP) for the Saturn V at the scale of 1:110 has to be 46 studs wide.
I'd suggest you do some research and check for some guy who already built it (the knock off brand).
See, the problem is: knock-off brand might be able to do reasonably well when their models are compact. This is a fairly large affair. As such, the guy in the video, points out all the places where the bricks do not meshes very well - making the whole structure a 'little' wobbly.
Another option would be to buy third party instruction manual and built it yourself with Lego parts. This will cost you at least $2000 and some very important parts are not made anymore by Lego (so either you replace that with something uglier or you spend really BIG money on bricklink - because you'd need at least 250 of them)
Best, YMMV.
Edit: I just did some calculations: the ML-1 (Mobile Launcher 1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) is 165 feet long by 135 feet wide. Using Sariel Unit Converter we get: at 1:110 scale, 165 feet equal 57 studs. 135 feet equal 47 studs. (This would probably become 56-58 by 46 for ease of construction). The set proposed by Lego is 32 studs wide which (using the same tool) suggests a scale of (guess what?) 160.
"It's not known when it will be officially launched (pun intended)"
Well, if it's anything like the real Artemis project.....
Looks cool... also look like a boring build.
Finally an iconic set that looks light years ahead of some other releases.
@Rob42 said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
"Interesting that this leak can be reported on by affiliated Lego sites."
It was leaked because someone photographed it on a store shelf in Taipei airport as they were passing through, i.e. publicly accessible, anyone could see and maybe even buy it.
At that point the cat has well and truly left the bag behind, and you'd have to be Wizards of the Coast to try and reunite the two."
I thought when the Avenger Tower leaked and was on display in official Lego stores websites weren't allowed to report on it until the official press release from Lego?
@Firox_5000 said:
"Finally an iconic set that looks light years ahead of some other releases."
No, the SLS relies on good old-fashioned rockets; it doesn't have faster-than-light capability.
Amazing. This is a definite buy.
Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now? I expected to see at least a little Red, White, and Blue.
@quincy said:
"Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now? I expected to see at least a little Red, White, and Blue. "
...it's not a shuttle, first off. It's a rocket.
@quincy said:
"Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now? I expected to see at least a little Red, White, and Blue. "
From the pictures I've seen, there are no mentions of the USA on the rocket but there is a huge American flag covering a big chunk of the right front of the Mobile Launcher 1. On the left front, there is an equally huge banner of the Artemis program.
I suppose Lego could have added it, it would haver added about 10 pieces to attach 2 4x6 or 4x8 tiles and then 2 large stickers and it would have added a reasonable splash of colours.
@quincy said:
"Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now? I expected to see at least a little Red, White, and Blue. "
It's not just a NASA project, it's done in collaboration with ESA and other partners. Space exploration and science is far less about countries challenging each other like it was during the Space Race, it's far more about collaboration and contributing to bigger projects.
It is impressive looking, but I bet boring and repetitive to build.
Too expensive for the tower too. I might have bought the rocket on its own but not with all those extra parts and cost for the tower.
@8lackmagic said:
"That's one giant leap for Lego kind."
FYI: The moon landing never happened.
@japadberg said:
" @8lackmagic said:
"That's one giant leap for Lego kind."
FYI: The moon landing never happened."
There has been several and another one scheduled in a couple of years time. So you can look forward to that.
@followsclosely said:
" @Retroblox77 said:
"Hm, interesting. I wonder if 92176 is compatible with this?"
No, 92176 is double the height."
So you'll need buy two of this set and build a launch tower that's twice as tall...
@Slave2lego said:
"CURSE YOU LEGO!!!!!!!!
I’ve already sold a kidney in readiness for 10333 Lord Of The Rings: Barad-Dûr
Hmmmm….. my wife still has 2…….."
Apart from me and my wife, I still have 2 kids.
I knew they would be useful to me someday...
Sweet Jesus, that’s the good stuff.
@HOBBES said:
" @legoDad42 said:
"Looks stellar.
Definitely a must get for me.
Saturn V seems to be bigger I'm guessing?
Definitely need an umbilical for that. Some knock off brands have some cool launch tower and crawler. Gonna' check those out now."
Saturn V is roughly 50% bigger (so the guy who proposed 1:160 is pretty much spot on). This launch pad is 32 studs wide. For comparison, a mobile launch platform (MLP) for the Saturn V at the scale of 1:110 has to be 46 studs wide.
I'd suggest you do some research and check for some guy who already built it (the knock off brand).
See, the problem is: knock-off brand might be able to do reasonably well when their models are compact. This is a fairly large affair. As such, the guy in the video, points out all the places where the bricks do not meshes very well - making the whole structure a 'little' wobbly.
Another option would be to buy third party instruction manual and built it yourself with Lego parts. This will cost you at least $2000 and some very important parts are not made anymore by Lego (so either you replace that with something uglier or you spend really BIG money on bricklink - because you'd need at least 250 of them)
Best, YMMV.
Edit: I just did some calculations: the ML-1 (Mobile Launcher 1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) is 165 feet long by 135 feet wide. Using Sariel Unit Converter we get: at 1:110 scale, 165 feet equal 57 studs. 135 feet equal 47 studs. (This would probably become 56-58 by 46 for ease of construction). The set proposed by Lego is 32 studs wide which (using the same tool) suggests a scale of (guess what?) 160."
Many thx Hobbes.
You’re right about larger knockoff brands stability.
I stumbled upon a designer with instructions using all Technic with a motorized crawler. Using only parts from 3 large Technic kits. And extremely accurate looking too.
@quincy said:
"Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now? I expected to see at least a little Red, White, and Blue. "
...have you actually seen any other rocket or space shuttle sets? Or actual rockets or space shuttles for that matter?
@recce said:
" @Slave2lego said:
"CURSE YOU LEGO!!!!!!!!
I’ve already sold a kidney in readiness for 10333 Lord Of The Rings: Barad-Dûr
Hmmmm….. my wife still has 2…….."
Apart from me and my wife, I still have 2 kids.
I knew they would be useful to me someday..."
Not too late to grow more kids
@quincy said:
"Least patriotic looking shuttle set I’ve ever seen. …Is NASA a global entity now?"
Yeah, you could say that.
"Bigger Than the National Stage
Artemis remains for all humanity, and NASA is reaching across the globe to bring the world along for this epic journey. Capitalizing on existing and new international partnerships and a common purpose, Artemis is propelling the lunar economy forward as its missions bring science discoveries and benefits back to Earth.
Artemis is humanity’s next giant leap, and an international coalition is helping to make it a reality."
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-partners/
Link includes a photo. LEGO model looks pretty legit.
Since it is Artemis, do you build it, play with it once and throw it away?
@gunther_schnitzel said:
" @recce said:
" @Slave2lego said:
"CURSE YOU LEGO!!!!!!!!
I’ve already sold a kidney in readiness for 10333 Lord Of The Rings: Barad-Dûr
Hmmmm….. my wife still has 2…….."
Apart from me and my wife, I still have 2 kids.
I knew they would be useful to me someday..."
Not too late to grow more kids"
Yeah, but by the time they're old enough, this set will be even more expensive. The aftermarket does not tend to be kind to the prices on sets like this.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @gunther_schnitzel said:
" @recce said:
" @Slave2lego said:
"CURSE YOU LEGO!!!!!!!!
I’ve already sold a kidney in readiness for 10333 Lord Of The Rings: Barad-Dûr
Hmmmm….. my wife still has 2…….."
Apart from me and my wife, I still have 2 kids.
I knew they would be useful to me someday..."
Not too late to grow more kids"
Yeah, but by the time they're old enough, this set will be even more expensive. The aftermarket does not tend to be kind to the prices on sets like this."
You could also sell blood / plasma / other bodily fluids, or do medical experimentation.
Anyone got a good idea what the base size is ? My guess is 32x32
@hardwax said:
"Anyone got a good idea what the base size is ? My guess is 32x32"
As mentioned above, assuming this is 1:160 and the front is known to be 32 studs wide, the length would have to be 40 studs to be proportional to the real thing.
Reminds me of the "All Systems Go!" poster of a Lego Space Shuttle from the 80s.
Just a reminder for those wondering if this would work with the Saturn V. The LUT (launch umbilical tower) was red for the Saturn V.
@legoDad42 said:
" @HOBBES said:
" @legoDad42 said:
"Looks stellar.
Definitely a must get for me.
Saturn V seems to be bigger I'm guessing?
Definitely need an umbilical for that. Some knock off brands have some cool launch tower and crawler. Gonna' check those out now."
Saturn V is roughly 50% bigger (so the guy who proposed 1:160 is pretty much spot on). This launch pad is 32 studs wide. For comparison, a mobile launch platform (MLP) for the Saturn V at the scale of 1:110 has to be 46 studs wide.
I'd suggest you do some research and check for some guy who already built it (the knock off brand).
See, the problem is: knock-off brand might be able to do reasonably well when their models are compact. This is a fairly large affair. As such, the guy in the video, points out all the places where the bricks do not meshes very well - making the whole structure a 'little' wobbly.
Another option would be to buy third party instruction manual and built it yourself with Lego parts. This will cost you at least $2000 and some very important parts are not made anymore by Lego (so either you replace that with something uglier or you spend really BIG money on bricklink - because you'd need at least 250 of them)
Best, YMMV.
Edit: I just did some calculations: the ML-1 (Mobile Launcher 1) of the Space Launch System (SLS) is 165 feet long by 135 feet wide. Using Sariel Unit Converter we get: at 1:110 scale, 165 feet equal 57 studs. 135 feet equal 47 studs. (This would probably become 56-58 by 46 for ease of construction). The set proposed by Lego is 32 studs wide which (using the same tool) suggests a scale of (guess what?) 160."
Many thx Hobbes.
You’re right about larger knockoff brands stability.
I stumbled upon a designer with instructions using all Technic with a motorized crawler. Using only parts from 3 large Technic kits. And extremely accurate looking too.
"
I stumbled on this too - and as I had the 3 technic kits already I built that and it's sitting on top of my beer fridge, practically reaching the ceiling! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who has the relevant sets (42055, 42082 and 42098)
On to this one - it does look great, but given I already have the LUT and crawler transporter on display with my Saturn V this may be a pass. I'll have to wait for reviews of course, but it probably can't match what's there already!