Review: 11382 Hubble Space Telescope
Posted by FlagsNZ,
Ask any person the name of a playwright and most of them would say Shakespeare, says Dr. Mario Livio, a senior scientist with the Hubble Space Telescope. Ask them the name of a scientist, most of them would say Einstein. Ask them the name of a telescope – they will say Hubble.
To celebrate the Hubble Space Telescope's longevity in service and the amazing role it has played in determining our place in the cosmos, LEGO is releasing this minifigure scale 11382 Hubble Space Telescope set.
Read on as I take you on a trip through the cosmos as I discuss this incredible set.
Summary
11382 Hubble Space Telescope, 1,252 pieces.
£119.99 / $139.99 / €129.99 | 9.6p, 11.2c, 10.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The Hubble Space Telescope has changed the way we view our place in the Universe. This LEGO set celebrates Hubble’s enduring legacy in our imagination
- Accurate and detailed minifigure scale model
- Error on the primary mirror
- Celebrates a well-known space telescope that enjoys celebrity status
- Stickers on an Icons set
- Medium Stone Grey colour
- Celebrating 35th anniversary one year late
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Credit: Original image by ISS / Nasa and LEGO model added by Jon-Paul Hansen
Matariki
As this article goes live, New Zealand is celebrating Matariki. Observing the rising of the Matariki cluster before sunrise in mid-winter signals the Maori new year and in recent years has been acknowledged as a bank (public) holiday.
Matariki is an open cluster of stars that is better known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters and is catalogued as Messier 45 (M45). This cluster sits in the zodiac constellation of Taurus.
Below is a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of this star cluster (the image has been rotated 180° as it would be seen from the Southern Hemisphere).
I'll comment further about Matariki at the end of this review.
Credit: NASA, ESA and AURA/Caltech
The box
On both sides of the box are images of 11382 Hubble Space Telescope sitting on its display stand. The image on the back shows that there are two removable panels that enable you to peer into the telescope to see some of the interior components.
In each of the two principal images on the front and back of the box, the LEGO HST model has one of the two High Gain Antenna placed at an angle to the telescope's main body. These antennas lay flat against the HST body when it lay in the Payload Bay of space shuttle Discovery. They were folded out soon after the HST was deployed into orbit.
In all the images I have seen of the HST floating in space, these antennas are perpendicular to the principal axis of the HST. So, for me, these box art images show lack of care in correctly posing the model.
There are three smaller images on the rear of the box that show:
- Two panels that can be removed to reveal some of the internal detailing of the model,
- An image of the completed model displayed on a desk, and
- An image of the HST floating in space high above a blue earth.
On the end of the box is an image of three printed transparent 1x4x3 Wall Elements that have three iconic HST images printed on them (these are discussed in detail later in the review).
There is also an image of the astronaut minifigure and the celebratory HST logo (also discussed later in the review).
There is a black and white blueprint-styled image of the finished model giving its dimensions.
The model measures just over 45 studs long (360mm - 14.2 inches). So, the model is produced at a scale of about 1:37. An astronaut standing 1.9 m tall (6.2 feet) would be about six studs tall. This model is close to, but marginally larger than minifigure scale.
Instructions
The instructions come in one medium-sized 174-page booklet.
Sticker sheet
There is a medium-sized sticker sheet included in the set.
For a set to be labelled in the Icons theme, marketed to adults (18+ years old) and be primarily a display model, there will be many people, myself included, who consider that this LEGO set should not have any stickers included.
It would be really helpful to have some consistency in the policy of having a fully printed element format for LEGO sets.
Parts
The 1252 parts are divided into nine numbered bags.
There is a large flexible sheet which makes up the two solar panels deployed on the HST.
The panel format is based on the solar arrays installed during Servicing Mission 3B. This was the second time that the arrays had been replaced. These new arrays and a new power control unit provide HST with more than twenty percent additional power.
These flexible tubes come in a perforated plastic bag.
Included are:
- Two silver metallic 21M Flex Tube with 3.2 Holes
- Four warm gold Outer Cable 168mm (21M) – the first time in this colour
- Four warm gold Outer Cable 88mm (11M) – the first time in this colour
Minifigure
There is one minifigure astronaut included with the 11382 Hubble Space Telescope.
The astronaut is wearing a NASA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU). The image on the left has the astronaut holding a brick-built battery drill, while the image on the right has the astronaut wearing an EMU without Extravehicular Visor Assembly.
The torso is effectively the Hard Upper Torso (HUT) element of the EMU.
The front of the torso has an accurate printed Display and Control Module (DCM) for the EMU.
Included in this printed design are the various EMU controls. Clockwise from the left, these include:
- Push to talk (PTT) button
- Fan switch
- Purge valve
- Cooling control valve
- O2 Actuator control
- Display intensity control, and
- Volume controls
There are two coloured patches on the DCM. The coloured circle is the mission patch. The large red patch would have the acronym NASA on it – National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The two square symbols below the DCM are mini-workstation mounts.
Just like real astronauts wearing an EMU, the minifigure's helmet comes in two parts:
- The outer part is the Extravehicular Visor Assembly (EVVA). This includes visors that are manually adjusted to shield the astronaut's eyes.
- The helmet, which would normally have a clear polycarbonate bubble, neck disconnect and ventilation pad.
Under the helmet, the astronaut is wearing a Snoopy cap – also known as the Communications Carrier Assembly (CCA).
The Primary Life Support Subsystem (PLSS) is a printed 2x3 white tile. This tile also includes a HST 35th anniversary logo.
The PLSS is connected with a Neckwear Bracket with 2 Back Studs. I believe this is the first time this element has appeared in any colour other than trans clear.
When the neck bracket is removed, you can see the stitching printed on the rear of the Hard Upper Torso element of the EMU, and also at the rear of the Snoopy cap (CCA).
Around the collar of the Hard Upper Torso can be seen the connection ring for the helmet.
The last two astronauts to conduct an EVA to service the HST were Mission Specialists John M. Grunsfeld and Andrew J. Feustel. Given that John M. Grunsfeld has a moustache, this minifigure could be Andrew J. Feustel.
The astronaut's legs are a printed element to represent the Lower Torso Assembly (LTA) of the EMU. There are two tether straps that are used to safely tether the astronaut during their EVA.
The red stripes on the legs are used to differentiate astronauts during their EVA.
Sources:
NASA Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) LSS/SSA Data Book
Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Hardware & Operations Overview
"A ballet of bodies and three hundred tools."
The above quote was used to describe the first Service Mission to HST in 1993.
NASA therefore relied on simulation to mimic the space environment and give astronauts time for preparation and carefully choreograph the Extra Vehicle Activity (EVA), described as 'a ballet of bodies and three hundred tools.'
Source: Hubble, trouble, toil and space rubble: The management history of an object in space
The astronaut has a brick-built battery drill. In NASA terminology, this is a Pistol Grip Tool (PGT).
The build
Bag 1
Bag 1 assembles the display stand.
On the display stand is a sticker applied to the black 6x6 tile plaque with the following facts and figures:
- Length – 43.5 feet (13.2 m)
- Diameter – 14 feet (4.2 m)
- Weight – 27,000 pounds (12,246 kg)
- Earth Orbit 300 miles (482 km)
- Active – April 24, 1900 – still in service
A full set of facts and figures of the HST can be seen at this link.
- SM1 – December 2–13, 1993
- SM2 – February 11–21, 1997
- SM3A – December 19–27 December 1999
- SM3B – March 1–12, 2002
- SM4 - May 11-24, 2009
Service mission 1 was the most significant in that a serious problem with the optical system had to be conducted in space (thiis is discussed later in this review).
Since its inception, funding and resourcing for the HST has been shared by NASA and the European Space Agency. The display plaque has both these agencies' logos to reflect that partnership.
Here is the actual logo used to celebrate the HST 35th anniversary. There are similar celebratory logos for HST's 30th and 25th anniversaries,
HST celebrated 35 years of operation in April 2025, so 2026 is HST's thirty-sixth year of operation. LEGO have released 11382 Hubble Space Telescope and are therefore commemorating this milestone one year late!
Source: Hubble's 35th Anniversary
On the display stand are three printed transparent 1x4x3 Wall Elements. The prints on these three elements reflect three of the HST's iconic images:
- Eagle Nebular Pillars of Creation
- The Whirlpool Galaxy, and
- The Butterfly Nebula
When these elements are assembled on the display stand, they will be inverted, so the prints appear as if they are upside down.
Eagle Nebula Pillars of Creation
The Eagle Nebula is catalogued as Messier 16 (M16)
The Pillars of Creation, in the Eagle Nebula (M16), were imaged by the HST in 1995, after five years in service. Then, to celebrate the HST's 25th year in orbit (2015), astronomers revisited the Pillars of Creation again. This 2015 image can be seen below.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Whirlpool Galaxy
The Whirlpool Galaxy is catalogued as Messier 51 (M51).
The graceful, winding arms of the majestic spiral galaxy M51 (NGC 5194) appear like a grand spiral staircase sweeping through space. They are actually long lanes of stars and gas laced with dust. The image below was taken by the HST in 2005, after fifteen years of operation.
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Credit: NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
The Butterfly Nebular
The Butterfly Nebula is catalogued as New General Catalogue 6302 (NGC 6302).
NGC 6302 lies in the constellation of Scorpius and is between 2,500 and 3,800 light-years away.
The colourful wings of the Butterfly Nebula are regions of hot gas heated to more than 20,000 degrees Celsius (36,000 degrees Fahrenheit). These regions of hot gas are moving through space at more than 965,000 km/h (600,000 mph).
Credit: NASA, ESA, Joel Kastner (RIT)
The HST is divided into these key components:
- Support Systems Module (SSM) — spacecraft structure that encloses the OTA and science instruments
- Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) — two mirrors and associated structures that collect light from celestial objects
- Science instruments — devices used to analyse the images produced by the OTA
- Solar Arrays (SA)
The remainder of the 11382 Hubble Space Telescope assembly is loosely divided into those four modules.
Bag 2
A new element found in Bag 1 is this 6x6 Technic Brick in brick yellow (tan) colour.
The base of the Support Systems Module (SSM) is assembled first. The interior of the HST has four Wall 2x2x5, Deg. 45, No. 1 elements in medium nougat. This element has been seen in only five other sets.
Clockwise from left front, these four wall elements represent:
- Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph
- Cosmic Origins Spectrograph
- Advanced Camera for Surveys
- Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer
Bag 3
Bag 3 assembles the HST Primary Mirror as part of the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA).
The optical system of HST is a Ritchey-Chretien design Cassegrain telescope (RCD). The RCD has two hyperbolic mirrors: the primary mirror which collects the incoming light and focusses the light onto the secondary mirror which then sends the light waves back through a hole in the primary mirror. This design eliminates off-axis optical errors.
Famously, the HST's primary mirror was originally ground to be an extremely precise polished mirror surface. The problem being that the device being used to calibrate the machine polishing the mirror's glass surface was itself calibrated incorrectly.
This link will take you to a page which outlines the causes of this fault, how it was identified and how it was fixed. The story of the manufacture of the HST primary mirror is also covered in one of the chapters in Simon Winchester's book Exactly.
In 11382 Hubble Space Telescope, the element representing the HST's primary mirror has been assembled the wrong way around. The 6x6 transparent clear dish has been installed upside down. This element has been seen in only five other sets.
With a diameter of six studs, this dish element would be approximately 1.8 m (5 feet) in diameter at the scale of this model. The real primary mirror is actually 2.4 m (7.9 feet) in diameter.
This link will take you to a page which describes the HST optics.
There are three brick-built gyroscopes sitting in this bay. The recess in the HST body will eventually receive the display stand.
There are optical baffles above the mirror. The Wide Field Camera and Fine Guidance Sensors sit underneath the mirror.
This link will take you to some images that show the improvements of the three Wide Field Cameras and corrective optics installed during the various Service Missions.
The recess in the HST body will eventually receive the display stand.
Bag 4
Bag 4 continues the assembly of the SSM and commences the foundation of the upper section of the Optical Telescope Assembly.
There is a small access port where you can peer into the HST primary mirror.
Bag 5
Bag 5 assembles the panelling that shields the SSM. A small panel is easily removed to reveal some of the interior detailing inside the SSM.
Beginning in Servicing Mission 3B in 2002 and continuing in Servicing Mission 4 in 2009, the HST was covered in new sections of foil insulation to repair sections that had been damaged by exposure from the sun's damaging radiation.
Released in 2021, 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery includes a smaller model of the HST. This smaller model is tiled predominantly with elements in silver ink and silver metallic colours.
It is disappointing that 11382 Hubble Space Telescope is finished in predominantly medium stone grey (light bluish grey).
These are the other two sides of the SSM.
Bag 6
Bag 6 begins with the assembly of the light shield of the telescope body and the Secondary Mirror Assembly.
With a diameter of two studs, this dish element would be approximately 590 mm (23 inches) in diameter at the scale of this model. The real primary mirror is actually 30.5 cm (12 inches) in diameter.
Given that the 2x2 Round Slide Shoe (Boat Stud) represents the HST's secondary mirror, it would have been more accurate to offer it in transparent clear to represent the polished glass the secondary mirror is made from.
Bag 7
Bag 7 continues the assembly of the light shield of the telescope body.
The HST has handrails, foot restraint sockets, tether attachments and other fittings built into the structure to assist astronauts during the Servicing Missions. There are 225 feet (68 m) of handrails on the HST.
The warm gold 1x2 Plates W. Stick 3.18, Outer Cables, Harpoon Sticks and Stick 6M W/Flange represent these handrails and other fittings.
The aperture opening of the HST model has been reinforced.
The Secondary Mirror Assembly is supported by three 3.2 Holders, W/ Knob.
Bag 8
Bag 8 completes the main body of the HST and the Aperture Door.
Another new element appears in Bag 8: Brick W. Bow 4x6x1 in medium stone grey.
The main body of the HST has been attached to its display stand. The Aperture Door and the two High-Gain Antennas (HGA) have been added.
The HST has sun-avoidance sensors which automatically trigger an Aperture Door closing warning before sunlight can damage the telescope’s optics.
The Aperture Door automatically begins to close when the sun is within 35 degrees of the main axis of the HST axis and is closed by the time the sun reaches 20 degrees of that axis. This takes no more than 60 seconds. The automatic closure can be overridden by the Space Telescope Operations Control Center (STOCC).
The images on the left show the HST with Aperture Door closed and antenna folded down. The image on the right has the Aperture Door opened and the HGA deployed.
The high-gain antennas are used to transmit large amounts of data, including the telescope’s images.
The two white Parabola Dishes on the image on the left represent the two HST Flight Releasable Grapple Fixtures (FRGF). These grapple points are where space shuttle astronauts manoeuvre the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS) – otherwise known as the Canadarm – to capture the HST.
There are four warm gold pads on the HST called scuff plates. The structure is assembled using four Revolver elements in warm gold for the first time.
The pair of metal scuff plates on struts extend approximately 30 inches (76 cm) from the HST's surface on opposite sides of the light shield. Their sole purpose was protecting the telescope during launch.
The other pair of warm gold cylindrical protrusions, called trunnions (NASA call them Payload Retention Latch Assemblies), locked the HST in place by hooking to latches in the space shuttle Discovery's payload bay.
Trunnions are pivots that act as a balance point. The HST trunnions are the strong points where the entire telescope can be lifted from and supported. It could have been more accurate to have a 2x2 round jumper plates in warm gold as the trunnions.
Both pairs of scuff plates are 14 studs apart. The space shuttle payload bay was 15 feet (4.57 m) wide. This makes 11382 Hubble Space Shuttle's width slightly at a narrower scale of 1:41.
This link shows you an image of the HST in Discovery's payload bay, and you can see the metal scuff plates on opposite sides of the light shield.
The medium stone grey Steering Wheel represents the HST's Soft Capture and Rendezvous System (SCRS). This component was installed during Servicing Mission 4.
The HST's scientific life has been extended well beyond the retirement date of the space shuttle programme. The SCRS has been installed so that the HST may be safely de-orbited by a future space vehicle.
The silver metallic 21M Flex Tube with 3.2 Holes represents the power umbilical cord which has been used to connect a power supply to the HST during Servicing Missions.
There are four medium stone grey 2x2 inverted tiles which have vent stickers applied. These represent the vents from the SSM.
The image on the right peers down the aperture opening into the light shield. The top of the Secondary Mirror Assembly can just be seen.
Bag 9
Bag 9 completes the model by assembling the two Solar Arrays.
The Solar Arrays represent those that were installed in 2002 during Servicing Mission 3B. They measure 23.3 x 8.6 feet (7.1 x 2.6 m). This set of arrays uses gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells.
Sources:
Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 Media Reference Guide
Hubble Space Telescope Systems
Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 4 The Soft Capture and Rendezvous System
The completed model
This three-minute video will take you on a virtual tour of the HST.
The HST is complete with the lone astronaut performing an EVA. He is using his PGT to complete a final repair before the telescope is sent out to capture its fantastic images.
There are two removable panels on the body of the HST that, when removed, show the key components of the HST's Optical Telescope Assembly.
The larger of the two panels can be removed to reveal the HST Primary Mirror.
The smaller panel can be removed to expose the light shield and the Secondary Mirror Assembly.
The HST orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately 550 km (340 miles). The HST travels at 28,000 kph (17,400 mph) and completes each orbit in 96 minutes. The circular orbit is inclined to the Equator by 28.5 degrees.
Here the 11382 Hubble Space Telescope is orbiting over New Zealand. It must have drifted quite a bit off course to reach these southerly latitudes. Fortunately, the lone astronaut has been working on the HST's guidance system so that it relocates to its correct orbital inclination.
Credit: Original image by ISS / Nasa and LEGO model added by Jon-Paul Hansen
Here is a close-up of the tirelessly working lone astronaut performing his EVA. He is holding on tightly to the section of handrails near to the Aperture Door. His other hand holds onto his PGT.
Credit: Original image by ISS / Nasa and LEGO model added by Jon-Paul Hansen
LEGO Hubble Space Telescopes
10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery was released five years ago. This was also released under the LEGO Icons theme.
The image below shows 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope being lifted out of the Payload Bay using the SRMS – more commonly known as the Canadarm.
This image shows the two HSTs side by side.
Note: The Space Shuttle Discovery undertook the HST Servicing Mission 2 in February 1997, The HST's Soft Capture and Rendezvous System (SCRS) was not installed until Servicing Mission 4, which was performed by the crew flying Space Shuttle Atlantis in May 2009.
These two images clearly show the shiny metallic finish of the silver ink and silver metallic elements that have been used on this smaller LEGO HST model.
Edwin P. Hubble
The American astronomer Edwin Powell Hubble (1889–1953) was one of the greatest pioneers of modern astronomy. Hubble studied at the University of Chicago and obtained a degree in Mathematics and Astronomy in 1910.
Hubble earned a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford. There, he studied Roman and English Law and also took up Literature and Spanish. He returned to the United States in 1913, where he passed the bar examination and practised law half-heartedly for a year in Kentucky.
He served in France briefly during the end of the First World War and returned to the United States in 1919. He almost certainly never saw any action during that war.
After practising law for one year, he decided to abandon his career practising law to pursue astronomy:
I chucked the law for astronomy, and I knew that even if I were second-rate or third-rate, it was astronomy that mattered.
Hubble completed a Ph.D. thesis on the Photographic Investigation of Faint Nebulae at the University of Chicago. This enabled him to obtain work at Mount Wilson Observatory, studying the faint patches of luminous fog or nebulae in the night sky.
This image shows Edwin Hubble peering through the eyepiece of the 100 inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory.
Credit: Margaret Bourke-White/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
The size of the known Universe
It is remarkable to think that just over a hundred years ago, the known universe consisted of only one galaxy: The Milky Way.
The Milky Way
The image below was taken by my brother, Steve Wardle, using a Nikon D610 SLR camera with a 14mm lens. It shows the Milky Way spanning the night sky. He used a flashlight panned over the neighbouring trees to capture their presence in the same frame.
He lives on a remote New Zealand island called Aotea Great Barrier Island, which is well known as a Dark Sky Sanctuary.
There will be many people who live in built-up metropolitan areas who have never seen the majesty of the Milky Way arching across the night sky. Pollutants in the atmosphere and urban light pollution make seeing a clear night sky nearly impossible for most city residents.
Credit: Steve Wardle
Galaxy: late 14c., from French galaxie or directly from Late Latin galaxias "the Milky Way" as a feature in the night sky (in classical Latin via lactea or circulus lacteus), from Greek galaxias (adj.), in galaxias kyklos, literally "milky circle," from gala (genitive galaktos) "milk"
Hubble expands the known Universe
Henrietta Swan Leavitt had discovered that there was a direct relationship between the brightness of cepheid variable stars and their distance from Earth. Cepheid variable stars have been known as standard candles ever since for their utility in determining stella distances from Earth.
Using the Hooker Telescope, Hubble found cepheids in several nebulae, including the Andromeda Nebula and Triangulum Nebula (as they were then known). Comparing their apparent luminosity to their intrinsic luminosity gave him their distance from Earth. In 1924, Hubble was able to conclusively prove that these nebulae were in fact too distant to be nebulas within the Milky Way, but they were their own galaxies that were considerably distant from our own galaxy.
Hubble devised the classification scheme for galaxies that is still in use today, and obtained extensive evidence that the laws of physics outside the galaxy are the same as on Earth, in his own words: "verifying the principle of the uniformity of nature."
In 1929, Hubble went on to analyse the speeds of recession of a number of galaxies and showed that the observed speed at which a galaxy moves away from Earth is proportional to its distance (Hubble's Law).
Stephen Hawking has commented that Edwin Hubble's 1929 discovery that the universe is expanding was "one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century". This expansion laid the observational foundation for the Big Bang.
Albert Einstein could have predicted an expanding universe ten years earlier. In 1917, Einstein applied his newly developed General Theory of Relativity to the problem of the universe as a whole. Einstein was very disturbed to discover that his General Theory of Relativity predicted that the universe could not be static: it either expanded or contracted. Einstein modified his original theory in order to avoid this problem.
Upon learning of Hubble’s discoveries of an expanding universe, Einstein later referred to his arbitrary modification of his General Theory of Relativity as “the biggest blunder of my life.”
Sources:
Edwin Powell Hubble - The man who discovered the cosmos
The Hubble Constant
The astronomical relationship between how far away an object is, and how fast it recedes from us is called the Hubble Constant.
The three-minute video tries to explain the Hubble Constant in lay terms.
The Hubble Space Telescope
For all his work in astrophysics, Edwin Hubble never received a Nobel Prize: during his life the Nobel Prize in Physics did not cover astronomy.
When Hubble passed away, no funeral was held for him, and his wife, Grace Lillian Burke Hubble, never revealed his burial site. Grace Hubble was a Stanford University graduate and a talented astrophysicist in her own right, and she actively supported Hubble in his career as a host, wrote speeches, and kept detailed diaries of his life.
The enduring legacy and memorial to Hubble is the Hubble Space Telescope.
Bill Bryson discusses Edwin Hubble, his strengths, achievements and personality in his book A Short History of Nearly Everything: 2.0 (and the original version as well).
Space is big!
To quote Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.
This deep-sky mosaic, created from nearly 7,500 individual exposures from the HST, provides a wide portrait of the distant universe, containing 265,000 galaxies that stretch back through 13.3 billion years of time to just 500 million years after the big bang.
The faintest and farthest galaxies are just one ten-billionth the brightness of what the human eye can see. The universe's evolutionary history is also chronicled in this one sweeping view. The portrait shows how galaxies change over time, building themselves up to become the giant galaxies seen in the nearby universe.
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz), and G. Bacon (STScI)
Overall opinion
I have really enjoyed writing this review. It has given me a great opportunity to do extensive research into the history of the Hubble Space Telescope.
As of 2025, the HST has made over 1.7 million observations. This work has enabled astronomers to write more than 23,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers.
The HST observations are referenced in more than 1.4 million scientific papers (through 2024). That number of citations increases by an average exceeding 150 per day.
The demand for observing time remains very high with 6:1 oversubscription, making it one of the most in-demand observatories today.
With these statistics in mind, these are my overall thoughts on the LEGO model.
The negative points
There is an absence of any biographical details of Edwin Hubble in the instruction book. There are small comments regarding concepts such as the Hubble Law and Hubble Constant but nothing about the person whom the HST is named after.
It is appropriate that this model has been produced under the Icons theme pitched at adults 18 years or older. It would have been more appropriate, therefore, to have the display plaque as a printed element. All stickers should have been printed elements, but, in my opinion, the display stand plaque should never have had a sticker applied.
On a similar note, the outer skin elements on the Hubble Space Telescope would have looked so much more authentic if they had been produced in the metallic silver colour similar to the metallic coloured parts used in 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery.
I cannot understand how this model was not available in the same year that the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 35th year of operation. Hopefully, the LEGO Design Team are already working on their next iteration to mark the 40th anniversary of the HST in April 2030. Maybe this could be a minifigure scale Space Shuttle Atlantis that enables 11382 Hubble Space Telescope to sit in the Payload Bay.
The positive points
There is an incredible amount of detail inside this model to reflect the various scientific equipment packs found in the HST.
For a set with 1252 parts, it is priced at £119.99, $139.99, €129.99 (which corresponds to 9.6p, 11.2c, 10.4c per piece). This seems to me represent reasonable value for money.
I really like the fact that the Primary Mirror 6x6 transparent clear dish has been installed upside down as an Easter Egg in reference to the HST's Primary Mirror that was precisely ground to the wrong focal length more than a decade before the HST was launched into space.
The build as a whole is incredibly detailed and is an accurate model of the HST at minifigure scale. I like the accurate printed details of the accompanying minifigure astronaut complete with his brick-built Pistol Grip Tool (PGT).
As this review goes live, I will be enjoying a day off work as New Zealand celebrates Matariki. When I return to work on Monday, I am scheduled to teach the subject of celestial navigation to future nautical navigators. This is a subject I really enjoy, but I will also be the first to admit that it is somewhat obsolete.
I am going to enjoy having the 11382 Hubble Space Telescope on display on my desk as I teach navigational astronomy, timekeeping and traditional navigational techniques using the sun, stars and planets.
Hubble images
Images captured by the HST are freely available from the respective NASA or ESA Hubble image websites.
Both agencies insist that appropriate credit is given to the sources of the images. The NASA media policy can be seen here. The ESA media policy can be seen here.
NASA
For those people celebrating the United States of America's 250 years of independence: NASA’s Hubble Spies Stellar Sparkler for July 4th.
From the NASA Hubble image webpage:
- Search images
- 35 years of images
- Mission galleries
- Servicing Mission galleries
- Science galleries
- Media resources
ESA
The European Space Agency Hubble webpage has a similar arrangement and shortcuts to various categories of Hubble images.
Here is one of my favourites: the Hubble mosaic of the majestic Sombrero Galaxy.
Credit: NASA/ESA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Some other fun facts – nothing to do with LEGO
Matariki
It is by pure coincidence that the embargo for reviews for 11382 Hubble Space Telescope has been lifted on 10 July, the day that Aotearoa New Zealand celebrates Matariki.
The event called Matariki occurs when that small cluster of stars becomes visible during morning twilight on the eastern horizon before sunrise. It can typically be seen in late June or early July each year.
Stars rise four minutes earlier than the sun each day and, just like using the appearance of Sirius in the morning to mark the timing of the Nile floods, the Maori used the observation of a rising Matariki to mark the end of one year and the start of another.
Credit: NASA, ESA and AURA/Caltech
Matariki is the Maori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. Matariki is a shortened version of Nga mata o te ariki o Tawhirimatea, "the eyes of the god Tawhirimatea".
In the past, Matariki was typically celebrated during the last quarter of the moon of the lunar month Pipiri (around June). Being able to sight the individual stars enabled forecasts of the coming year to be made. It was also an opportunity to mourn the deceased from the past year. Maori made offerings of food to replenish the stars. Some Maori use the rise of Puanga (Rigel) or other stars to mark the new year.
Matariki throughout Polynesia
Matariki has very similar cultural significance to many other Polynesian Island groups:
- In the Marquesas Islands the star cluster is known as Matai-i or Mata-iki,
- In the Cook Islands as Matariki,
- In Tuamotu archipelago as Mata-ariki.
- In Hawaii, the rising of Makali-i on 20 November ushers in the four-month season Makahiki, which honours Lono, the god of agriculture and fertility.
- In Tahiti, the year was divided into two seasons, named according to whether the Pleiades are visible after sunset: Matari-i i nia ('Matari-i above') and Matari-i i raro ('Matari-i below').
- On Rapa Nui, Matariki heralded the New Year, and its disappearance in mid-April ended the fishing season.
The named stars
Matariki has nine named stars. The table below lists these nine stars, their more commonly associated names, their gender and their provenance:
- Matariki – Alcyone – Female – Well-being and health
- Tupu-a-rangi – Atlas – Male – Food that comes from above
- Tupu-a-nuku – Pleione – Female – Food that grows in the soil
- Ururangi – Merope – Male – The winds
- Waipuna-a-rangi – Electra – Female – Rainwater
- Hiwa-a-rangi – Celaeno – Female – Growth and prosperity
- Waiti – Maia – Female – Fresh water
- Waita – Taygeta – Male – The ocean
- Pohutukawa – Sterope – Female – The deceased
Subaru
The Pleiades are also named in other cultures. The most commonly recognised alternative name is Subaru in Japanese, which means to cluster together.
The cluster of stars forms the badge of the car manufacturer of the same name.
The stylised Subaru logo is orientated as the cluster of stars would be seen from the Northern Hemisphere.
Marking of a New Year
Some people may wonder why a new year could be celebrated in July. For Southern Hemisphere residents, this event occurs in mid-winter, just like our more commonly accepted New Year, which is celebrated in mid-winter in the Northern Hemisphere and using a European-based calendar.
New Year has not always been celebrated on January 1st.
Until 1752, March 25th was officially celebrated as the English New Year. This was – and still is – known as Lady Day or the Feast of the Annunciation. It was chosen to mark the beginning of the year for civil and legal purposes.
The shift of New Year from March 25th to January 1st happened when Great Britain and its colonies adopted the Gregorian Calendar to align with the rest of Europe.
"Give Us Our Eleven Days!"
"Give Us Our Eleven Days," was the cry of the population during The Calendar Riots of 1752.
In 1752, the UK decided to adopt the Gregorian Calendar. Wednesday 2nd September 1752 was followed by Thursday 14th September 1752, advancing eleven days at midnight. This is no different to advancing clocks one hour during Daylight Saving, only it represents a much larger leap.
There were groups in the population that did not agree with this change. Some people thought that the government was stealing eleven days of their lives.
Remnant of those eleven days
The UK tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year.
The tax year used to start on 25 March each year, but due to the public outcry over the calendar reforms, the start date for tax purposes was advanced eleven days to April 5.
The year 1800 was not a leap year. The Gregorian Calendar drops three leap years in every 400-year period. The start of the tax year was advanced one more day in the year 1800 to make it 6 April. It has remained that date ever since. The full story can be seen here at this link.
Thanks
Thanks to DigitaLion for loaning me his 71267 The Goonies Level Pack used in this review.
Thanks to Jon-Paul Hansen for the two Photoshop images of 11382 Hubble Space Telescope superimposed over the NASA images.
Thanks to Steve Wardle for use of his fabulous image of the Milky Way.
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49 comments on this article
Looks great and seems fun to build! Price is decent; may wait for a sale if I can control myself...
Awesome review. But the set looks kinda unnecessarily big. The Shutle's Hubble is just the right size!
Fantastic review.
Wow, I am always amazed by the scientific knowledge or research from FlagsNZ. How many hours of work were put into this review?!
Anyway.. a bit sad to see the silver go but the model is much more detailed and I like the printed galaxies.
Great review, I appreciate all the work which must've gone into it.
Sorry to say the set looks quite boring and no better than the shuttle one which I have and love. Falls between two stools scale wise as extra detail pretty underwhelming and dull grey really a shame.
Thank you for another wonderfully comprehensive and well-researched review, @FlagsNZ! It's the perfect reading material to start the day. I'm going to have to come back and read this two or three more times to really appreciate everything. As for the set, I don't mind the light bluish gray color choice, but the use of stickers instead of prints is disappointing. Still, I've been wanting a minifig-scale HST for a long time and this one fits the bill nicely.
This is an excellent review, thanks @FlagsNZ ! And it somewhat changed my opinion on the set, it went from “not buying“ into “maybe” category
Amazing review as always, but I genuinely can't tell if the sentence:
"I really like the fact that the Primary Mirror 6x6 transparent clear dish has been installed upside down as an Easter Egg"
....is meant ironically...?
Fantastic review! So much extra information about the subject matter than was necessary but it was fascinating nonetheless. I would very much like to know whether this set was intended to release during the 35th anniversary or was always meant for 2026.
I'd love to see an article or discussion on the plague of yellowing, which I feel has gotten worse in recent years (I may be wrong or unlucky) as shown on FlagsNZ's Space Shuttle - https://images.brickset.com/news/132888_11382%20-%2059.png
Insight into the inconsistency (some sets stay white, others yellow quickly, despite being displayed near each other), causes (UV, temperature, etc) and prevention would be interesting. A look into what can be done to "clean" them, or LEGO's response on replacing them could be very beneficial to many.
Ahem... I also happen to have a... pistol grip tool...
A fascinating model that I shall definitely get once the price is right but that I don't hold any great urgency for.
What a fantastic review! Thank you.
It doesn't change my initial thoughts about this set itself, but great in-depth review!
Amazing review! But seeing how I already own the shuttle, don’t really need a second Hubble Telescope.
Excellent review as always to a rather flawed set. People who expect it to look proper will have to wrap it in aluminum foil themselves or grab a can of chrome silver spray paint.
So thanks LEGO for cutting corners again to maximize profits! I guess FIFA, F1 and pop-stars had higher budgets this year. Or, what is more likely, the extra expenses from Editions will be distributed to all the other sets, hence the 10-15% price hikes.
Impressive review and can appreciate all the facts behind this great looking set (colour being the item preventing an exceptional ranking). Thanks for incorporating these in your review. Only wish, for these more celebrated Icons sets they would include more information as there is education to be had here with some models.
Very nice, thorough review. However the comparison to the HST model in 10283 really highlights that this set should have been predominantly Silver Metallic. There don't appear to be too many different molds that would need to be made in that color... the hinges could stay grey, for example. How hard could it be? The horrible color-matching on the grey NASA sticker stands out, too.
If LEGO really didn't feel like recoloring elements, they should have given us a big foil sheet to wrap the model in. That could have been accurately chromed and crinkled without much expense, and would look much more realistic.
Color aside, I don't appreciate the mirror constructions. Putting the primary mirror upside down as a reference to the error makes no sense. They did not put the primary mirror on backwards on the real HST. The 6x6 dish is already wrong as-is, because it's parabolic, not hyperbolic. Adding the corrective lens would have been a more informative detail; is that even represented in the set? The SMA using a slideshoe is also wrong. Now both mirrors are convex, and good luck focusing any image with that configuration. The secondary mirror should have been another 2x2 dish, either in transparent or chrome silver (now that we know LEGO can still chrome parts).
I'm not impressed by the "artist's renditions" of HST images either, especially since two of those images are not (IMO) all that famous. But I grant that the Hubble Ultra Deep Field would look boring in this style. And it's cool to see someone I've met IRL mentioned, if only by citation, in a Brickset review (Joel Kastner).
Overall, I might get this set if I find it for under $100 (contrary to the review, I do not believe $140 to be fair value for this, especially with no Silver Metallic parts), but otherwise it's a pass. I've still yet to build my copy of 10283 anyways.
Miscellaneous other comments:
-The Hubble Constant is not actually constant; it changes over time. Formally it should be called the Hubble Parameter. We also don't know what its true (current) value is, as different measurement techniques have produced a broad range of estimates; this is known as the Hubble tension.
-The Pleiades in Greek mythology are the Seven Sisters; the "common names" of the nine stars listed in the review are thus all female, except Atlus. It is interesting that the Matariki names almost completely match the Greek ones in gender - only Merope and Taygeta differ.
I’m sure this set will fly off the shelves if it’s all metallic grey. Oh well… it does look like a torchlight
great review and article! For me is a buy. It will be a great addition to my space collection. I see @FlagNZ Discovery has yellowed like mine ??
What would make this great is a GWP lense fix and more astronauts to install the fix.
Excellent review of a very flawed set.
The wrong colour and the stickers are inexcusable imho.
Thanks but no thanks.
That is some violent yellowing. I'm going to have nightmares.
To be fair the Hubble project started in 1977 so it's 1 year early for it's 50th anniversary. In addition Hubble was originally suppose to be launched in 1983 but was delayed and eventually postponed further after the Challenger disaster.
Excellent and very informative review once again thank you! The design is great, the hand drill in itself is excellent to me. I was not determined to get it, already having the small version with the space shuttle (excellent set btw, one of my favorite of the last decade) but I wonder if I won't get it eventually. Very nice rendition, the more for being at minifig scale.
Active – April 24, 1900 – still in service
*1990
Thank you for sharing a bit of our culture to the world with that section on Matariki FlagsNZ!
@BrickBob09 said:
"I'd love to see an article or discussion on the plague of yellowing, which I feel has gotten worse in recent years (I may be wrong or unlucky) as shown on FlagsNZ's Space Shuttle - https://images.brickset.com/news/132888_11382%20-%2059.png
Insight into the inconsistency (some sets stay white, others yellow quickly, despite being displayed near each other), causes (UV, temperature, etc) and prevention would be interesting. A look into what can be done to "clean" them, or LEGO's response on replacing them could be very beneficial to many."
Lego have recently rolled out a new formulation for white (just in time for Minas Tirith) to combat yellowing. Curious to see how it performs long term.
What an amazing review!
I thought Lego said no more “UCS” plaque stickers.
Brilliant review!
But I did have a double take when I saw the photo of the 6x6 tan technic brick for bag 2 - I thought it was a digestive biscuit, that would go nicely with the cuppa tea I'm currently drinking!!!
Looks fine but don’t care enough to get it. The one that came in the shuttle does me.
@Pseudoty said:
"What an amazing review!
I thought Lego said no more “UCS” plaque stickers."
They did. They’ve also said Ultimate Collector’s Series is a branding that’s exclusive to the Star Wars theme. This, therefore, is not actually UCS, but merely UCS-style.
@FlagsNZ, the backpack tile looks to be 2x3, not 1x3. And Rebrickable has the neck bracket in 122 sets, always trans-clear. White is therefore a more interesting recolor than the gold revolvers.
@Padraig said:
" @BrickBob09 said:
"I'd love to see an article or discussion on the plague of yellowing, which I feel has gotten worse in recent years (I may be wrong or unlucky) as shown on FlagsNZ's Space Shuttle - https://images.brickset.com/news/132888_11382%20-%2059.png
Insight into the inconsistency (some sets stay white, others yellow quickly, despite being displayed near each other), causes (UV, temperature, etc) and prevention would be interesting. A look into what can be done to "clean" them, or LEGO's response on replacing them could be very beneficial to many."
Lego have recently rolled out a new formulation for white (just in time for Minas Tirith) to combat yellowing. Curious to see how it performs long term. "
According to Brickset / LEGO replacement part service Minas Tirith uses a mix of V3 and old white. But it doesn't matter because the yellowing will be just as bad, as tested by Rambling Brick:
https://ramblingbrick.com/2026/05/17/whats-up-with-white-part-2-comparing-the-effects-of-twelve-months-of-environmental-exposure-on-pigment-426-white-and-1-white/comment-page-1/
You really thought there was a magic formula to stop yellowing of ABS? Why would TLG care? They just sell more parts and sets if you need to replace them. Plus they want you to buy new, expensive stuff, not cheaper from second hand.
The only difference between White 1 and 426 (V3) is the opacity. So tough luck.
I am a lego space guy but this isnt for me. Too less neon colours!
In fact all the nasa or real life iterations are not for me. I really dont like humans fussing in space not even knowing their own planet enough to understand it. How about our oceans? I bet its around 5% we discovered of it but we go to space!? Humans make no sense! This makes no sense at all. How come that there wasnt a second visit on the moon till now? It was never real! Total fake i recckon...
As I already have the Discovery set with Hubble telescope I'm not sure if I need this set. That does not mean I might not get it eventually on sale but if it was Silver Metallic it would have been so mucb better.
How many pieces in the model do/did they not make in silver metallic?
Extenove review. Thanks!
Is pearl gold now called warm gold?
Anyone know what the 21st century set with the highest proportion of Surface Shiny Pieces is? I can’t think of anything this size that comes with all that many.
@Hiratha said:
"Anyone know what the 21st century set with the highest proportion of Surface Shiny Pieces is? I can’t think of anything this size that comes with all that many."
It’s about half the size, but 76191 comes to mind. Of course, there you’ve got Disney breathing down their neck about how tan makes it look like leather instead of metal, and Disney is famously the company that forced them to break their super-strict color-lock on one of the Mixel joints.
https://www.claudenicollier.ch/
I can live with stickers, but as adults set this should have been made in silver color, not the dull LBG.
Incredible review. In my world, we refer to folks like @FlagsNZ as differentiators. While I love all Brickset reviews, I actually forward FlagsNZ reviews to other non-LEGO fans to read.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Hiratha said:
"Anyone know what the 21st century set with the highest proportion of Surface Shiny Pieces is? I can’t think of anything this size that comes with all that many."
It’s about half the size, but 76191 comes to mind. Of course, there you’ve got Disney breathing down their neck about how tan makes it look like leather instead of metal, and Disney is famously the company that forced them to break their super-strict color-lock on one of the Mixel joints."
Huh. I thought I’d like it more. Maybe my general indifference to the Gauntlet is getting in the way.
I always appreciate the passion for learning and teaching that comes with reviews from FlagsNZ.
@Hiratha said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Hiratha said:
"Anyone know what the 21st century set with the highest proportion of Surface Shiny Pieces is? I can’t think of anything this size that comes with all that many."
It’s about half the size, but 76191 comes to mind. Of course, there you’ve got Disney breathing down their neck about how tan makes it look like leather instead of metal, and Disney is famously the company that forced them to break their super-strict color-lock on one of the Mixel joints."
Huh. I thought I’d like it more. Maybe my general indifference to the Gauntlet is getting in the way."
I find about half of people hate it, and half couldn’t care less.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Hiratha said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @Hiratha said:
"Anyone know what the 21st century set with the highest proportion of Surface Shiny Pieces is? I can’t think of anything this size that comes with all that many."
It’s about half the size, but 76191 comes to mind. Of course, there you’ve got Disney breathing down their neck about how tan makes it look like leather instead of metal, and Disney is famously the company that forced them to break their super-strict color-lock on one of the Mixel joints."
Huh. I thought I’d like it more. Maybe my general indifference to the Gauntlet is getting in the way."
I find about half of people hate it, and half couldn’t care less."
They used to be able to care less before the snap...
@yellowcastle said:
"Incredible review. In my world, we refer to folks like @FlagsNZ as differentiators. While I love all Brickset reviews, I actually forward FlagsNZ reviews to other non-LEGO fans to read."
Thanks for your kind words and endorsement.
Thanks everyone for your kind comments.
This was a marathon review to undertake. This time I deliberately used to primary sources of information and fortunately there is plenty of publicly available material from NASA and ESA on the Hubble Space Telescope and other topics.
I don't think any other reviewer has noticed that the HST primary mirror is upside down. That 6x6 dish is the only LEGO parts to would work there and having it upside down is the only "mistake" that could be made with it.
75442 The Mandalorian's N-1 Starfighter was partially skinned in drum-lacquered silver elements, but it is also a rather expensive set because of this.
As for the yellowing of the Space Shuttle. This is more likely due to my lighting, white balance of my camera and the blue backdrop that I use. I will soon be changing the blue backdrop for something more neutral, and I will re-check the white balance settings after that.
@FlagsNZ said:
"As for the yellowing of the Space Shuttle. This is more likely due to my lighting, white balance of my camera and the blue backdrop that I use. I will soon be changing the blue backdrop for something more neutral, and I will re-check the white balance settings after that."
Man, I should hope so. This doesn't just look like UV-discolouration - it doesn't even look like you've been smoking near that shuttle. Instead, it looks like you've somehow been smoking the shuttle itself, on a regular basis.
Forget pictures of diseased lungs on cigarette-packaging, forget cautionary tales of sun-damage to skin. Your shuttle will haunt me for years to come, and I vow never to smoke or go outside ever again.
I'm not interested in the set. The best thing about the set is the review. Congrats to the reviewer.