New Space Shuttle to launch next month
Posted by Huw,
The next Creator Expert 18+ set is set to take off on April 1st. Here's the press release:
10283 Space Shuttle Discovery, 2,354 pieces
US$199.99 / €179.99 / £169.99 / CA$269.99
Available from 1st April at LEGO.com
The incredible new LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set brings the wonder of space exploration back home! Ideal for adult builders, the new set is a detailed recreation of the STS-31 mission launched in April 1990 and saw the orbiter Discovery and its five crew members deploy the Hubble Space Telescope into the cosmos. Ever since, Hubble has shared wondrous images of deep space, leading to breakthroughs in astrophysics and space exploration.
The LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is made up of 2,354 pieces and is amazingly detailed in true reflection of its full-size counterpart, complete with functional landing gear, and payload bay doors that open one after the other. The doors also feature reflective stickers to mimic the cooling radiators found on the real shuttle orbiter.
At the rear of Discovery is housed the three main engines used for launch into orbit. These are flanked on either side of the tail by smaller engines designed for in-orbit manoeuvres and for de-orbit and re-entry into the atmosphere at the end of the mission. The flight control surfaces on the back edge of the wings and tail then are used to control roll, pitch and yaw as an aeroplane does. The tail's rudder serves as a speed brake to assist in landing control and rollout on the runway after touchdown.
It’s not only the Space Shuttle’s exterior that is incredibly accurate, the interior from the upper flight deck down and through the mid-deck and out to the payload bay are sure to please both builders and space enthusiasts alike. The crew cabin features the five seats in their correct placement for the astronauts on the STS-31 mission, complete with flight and robotic arm (Remote Manipulator System, or RMS), control panels. Meanwhile, the mid-deck contains the space shuttle’s storage lockers for necessities and mission equipment, space for the fifth crew member and the air lock to the payload bay.
The payload bay itself contains the Ku-band antenna for communications, cameras for the crew to monitor operations within the bay, and the RMS arm ready to grapple and release Hubble to carry out its mission.
The same attention to detail has been applied to the Hubble Space Telescope, with its hinged mirror housing just like the actual telescope and new gold foil solar arrays as well as a realistic, reflective, metallic silver design. The telescope can be stowed in the payload bay ready to be connected to the RMS arm for deploy just as it was on mission STS-31. Alternatively, it can be displayed separately from Discovery, as if orbiting in space on its all-important mission, documenting the stars and our universe.
Milan Madge, LEGO Set Designer commented “The Space Shuttle is the most complex vehicle ever made, so as you can imagine, translating this into LEGO was an exciting challenge. In the real vehicle every inch of space is used in ingenious ways. Generally, in a LEGO model we can rely on the size to accommodate the structure that holds the whole set together, but on the Discovery Space Shuttle we needed to create a smooth exterior and an interior capable of holding the payload. Add functional landing gear, and you have a real puzzle. This was without a doubt the most challenging part of this model - trying to couple the front and main landing gear without removing any space from the payload bay and without compromising the structure of the model. My favourite part of the set is the tiny blue seats that carried 5 human beings away from their home planet on a mission that allowed us to discover parts of the universe never seen before!”
Once complete the set also comes with stands and information plaques, allowing you to display your creation with pride.
In addition, VIPs will be able to purchase an exclusive item with their points; an Ulysses Space Probe, available for 1,800 VIP Points, which the Space Shuttle Discovery also deployed in 1990 on a mission to scan the Sun. Limited stocks available.
You can find more images on the set details page.
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148 comments on this article
Are those reflective panels on the inside?
Oooh, shiny pieces!
Look like the best Space-build by Lego so far.
What is the second VIP-item?
Looks cool!
@Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
seems like mirror style stickers to me.
Can we expect a review soon?
I recently sold 10213 in anticipation of this set. I wish this set was the entire full stack with the fuel tank and boosters, but this is great improvement of the main oribiter.
I have just removed 10213 and 10231 from my watchlist...
I mean it is in the article...
"The doors also feature reflective stickers"
@Metalizer7734 said:
" @Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
seems like mirror style stickers to me."
seems to me too
stickers on inverted curvature parts?
oh god no :) :) :)
@Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
look like stickers...
Not to be a negative Nancy ... but why no astronaut nanofigs :(
@MudkipDoom said:
"Can we expect a review soon?"
you can check out Brick Depot yt channel for speed build and review of the set. I highly recomend that channel :)
@Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
"The doors also feature reflective stickers to mimic the cooling radiators found on the real shuttle orbiter."
The set seems to be 100% with stickers. Even the NASA display signs. Very disapointing.
It will look great next to my 8480. Damn, I'm running out of shelf space for all these space sets.
Sorry...
Will add it to my wanted list. I'm still waiting to see the castle sets.
2021 has been an expensive year so far... =))))
We'll be publishing our review tomorrow at the stipulated time.
As a kid in the 80's, furiously scooping up space sets left and right, this was always the "goal" to try and build my own Space Shuttle. My dad was an avid NASA fan and pooling all of my LEGO sets to try and replicate the shuttle was a never ending effort in our house. Having missed out on the early 2010's versions of the space shuttle, this is a blessing to be able to pick up such an amazing model of the shuttle. Can't for wait for this!
wow this set is gorgeous but the large number of stickers and how and where they are placed is going to detract a lot of people from buying this.
Day one buy for me -- might even get two, like I did with the Saturn V.
Oh my yes.
Gorgeous! Day 1 purchase!
Disappointing to still see stickers for such a price. The shuttle has earned a much better treatment.
@eMJee83 said:
"What is the second VIP-item?
Looks cool!"
My bet is that April VIP coin will be the Classic Space one.
One should pray for the system not to crash.
And be sure to have ~3000 points available for both.
And set reminder right now.
In addition, VIPs will be able to purchase an exclusive item with their points; an Ulysses Space Probe, available for 1,800 VIP Points, which the Space Shuttle Discovery also deployed in 1990 on a mission to scan the Sun
I'm really curious what that one looks like, now... I hope it's on the same level of detail as Hubble...
Any idea what those golden rods are for on the first pictures ? I can't see them anywhere else...
I think you missed an important option on the poll. "Yes, but it's too expensive."
I'll probably get this at the first good promotional set or double points. My wife and I got to see the actual space shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and the space shuttle has always been an interesting vehicle to me.
Im reallyt sad that those reflective 'chrome' panels are stickers but i still love chromed lego (therefore my name) I hope they would do actual chromed pieces more as stickers dont really feel the same but i understand that it is cheaper to produce. Maybe thats a print? Nah i dont think so
So this is why Snelson42's Ideas submission of the Atlantis space shuttle was rejected after it got 10,000 supporters, https://ideas.lego.com/projects/f072bc4c-47a3-417e-98cb-5750fdac516d . LEGO was already working on their own.
Looks to me to be slightly over half of minifig scale. Too big for trophy figs, but too small for minifigures. I guess it’s close to microfig scale. Also, check out the new curved pieces at the top of the cockpit!
@FSLienad said:
"I think you missed an important option on the poll. "Yes, but it's too expensive.""
If you're buying it, it's obviously NOT too expensive.
Is it minifig scale?
If I had the room... love that Hubble.
If I can only buy one more set this year, it will be this one.
It looks absolutely fantastic, but I am not interested in it personally. I Might Get it for my brother though.
@mar10jonzz said:
" @Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
"The doors also feature reflective stickers to mimic the cooling radiators found on the real shuttle orbiter."
The set seems to be 100% with stickers. Even the NASA display signs. Very disapointing."
Apparently quite a lot of parts are printed, just not all of them (including mostly the inner reflective panels).
So expensive already this year so far! but this a must now. I must build saturn mount on wall then this under on shelf or similar!
How do they compare scale wise?
This looks insane! As a big space fan this is really exciting, and it will look good with the Saturn V
I'm super excited.
@yellost said:
"Any idea what those golden rods are for on the first pictures ? I can't see them anywhere else..."
I believe they're to represent the 'furled' version of the large gold panels, as both the rods and the panels have the grey click hinge. That's how they retract to fit inside the ship
@IgelCampus said:
"Disappointing to still see stickers for such a price. The shuttle has earned a much better treatment."
I agree. Saturn V had no stickers and plenty of prints for a far cheaper price.
@lee1980 said:
"So expensive already this year so far! but this a must now. I must build saturn mount on wall then this under on shelf or similar!
How do they compare scale wise?"
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V is approximately 1:110 while 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is approximately 1:72.
@SithLord196 said:
"I'll probably get this at the first good promotional set or double points. My wife and I got to see the actual space shuttle Discovery at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, and the space shuttle has always been an interesting vehicle to me."
If I pick this up, I'll have to go to Udvar-Hazy and get a picture of both together!
Really curious about this other probe offer...might force my hand to buy sooner rather than later.
Some additional images: http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-032221a-lego-nasa-space-shuttle-discovery-hubble.html
Larger than I initially thought.
I want this so bad! Probably won’t be a day one purchase, it’ll depend on what else is Released later this year.
Also, the twitter video ends with a new slogan: Adults Welcome
https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/1373982958357508097?s=21
I urge Lego to produce more stickers to every set they release just because the recurrent whining is amusing.
Beautiful! Technically that's just the Orbiter, it would have been nice to have the External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters, but it's lovely either way!
@fakespacesquid said:
" @yellost said:
"Any idea what those golden rods are for on the first pictures ? I can't see them anywhere else..."
I believe they're to represent the 'furled' version of the large gold panels, as both the rods and the panels have the grey click hinge. That's how they retract to fit inside the ship"
Looks like you're correct - they're shown like that on one of the photos at Lego.com
Dang it, why did LEGO release so many great sets this year? I’m going to be broke at this rate!
@CapnRex101 said:
" @lee1980 said:
"So expensive already this year so far! but this a must now. I must build saturn mount on wall then this under on shelf or similar!
How do they compare scale wise?"
21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V is approximately 1:110 while 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is approximately 1:72."
Thanks CapnRex, quite a difference then really!
Holy Cow!!! Is that chrome!?!? I want this so bad right now!!!
I like the metallic silver pieces used for the Hubble telescope.
The reflective stickers on the inside of the doors will be a nightmare to apply.
I hope there won't be the usual problem of bricks with different shades of white
My first reaction, after seeing the piece count, is to wonder how big of a shuttle they could make if they used the same number of components as the real shuttle (which still holds the record, I believe, and I think was north of 1 million). My second reaction is to wonder if they included an optional sticker for the Hubble that says “Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear”
@yellost :
I vote that they’re missiles. Go, Space Force!
It's nice but it's no 8480. ;-)
This is so cool! It’s been so long since we’ve had a LEGO space shuttle.
That said... is it weird that I want to simply stick with 10213? I can’t believe I’d pass on a space set, but I’m actually content with the gorgeous minifig-compatible one I already have.
@jlskywalker said:
"Will add it to my wanted list. I'm still waiting to see the castle sets.
2021 has been an expensive year so far... =))))"
Castle sets? Plural? I heard about the Creator one, but is there something I missed? I would love to see a new castle theme.
@560heliport said:
" @FSLienad said:
"I think you missed an important option on the poll. "Yes, but it's too expensive.""
If you're buying it, it's obviously NOT too expensive."
"I'm going to buy it, but only if it has a discount of 20% or more." - for example.
Thus, too expensive (at RRP).
This is very exciting! I'm looking forward to seeing what the VIP points set is, too.
Oh man, this is COOL! :)
@BrickC137 said:
"I want this so bad! Probably won’t be a day one purchase, it’ll depend on what else is Released later this year.
Also, the twitter video ends with a new slogan: Adults Welcome
https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/1373982958357508097?s=21"
Yes, that slogan and the corresponding section of the website came out around the end of January
Seems like every other large 18+ set introduces new elaborate curved pieces these days. I'm not complaining, a lot of these parts are really cool, but I hope they can see some other uses.
Not only does the set look great, the press release is actually readable and accurate! They really pulled out all the stops on this one :)
Day 1 purchase! And for a change it’s not more expensive in Belgium.
But unfortunately I have only 1500 vip points. Probably need to buy something else to be able to get the extra set :D
The cockpit area is a bit rough but I like everything else.
The only thing that bugs me is that the title of the plaque is "Space Shuttle Discovery STS-31," but all the specs on there are applicable to the orbiter itself, not to STS-31.
My house is full and I have nowhere to put this, but boy is this beautiful.
Makes me wish I had money
I could not be filled with more 'want' at this point in time.
That is shockingly beautiful. I have 10213, so I really don't need it... I don't need it... I don't need it...
@Veyniac said:
"Oooh, shiny pieces!"
"This is my shiny thing, and if you try and take it off me, I may have to eat you."
;-)
@supervir2 said:
"The cockpit area is a bit rough but I like everything else."
Agreed. People are definitely using a different standard here compared to seeing first pics of a Technic car. Cockpit area is pretty clunky imo, and Technic would get blasted for it.
But the rest of the set looks pretty good and can understand the enthusiasm from space collectors.
@The_Brickster_ said:
"Holy cow that’s incredible. I have no space or money for it though:/"
Space is infinite.. Though, I will admit, money is not.
@northgeorgiamasonry said:
" @supervir2 said:
"The cockpit area is a bit rough but I like everything else."
Agreed. People are definitely using a different standard here compared to seeing first pics of a Technic car. Cockpit area is pretty clunky imo, and Technic would get blasted for it.
But the rest of the set looks pretty good and can understand the enthusiasm from space collectors."
Seriously, though...what do you expect at this scale?
Oh, man, I need an additional shelf to add this to the Shuttle Adventure, Saturn V, ISS, MSL Curiosity, Women of NASA and Lunar Lander!
Hoping we get more info on the Ulysses VIP set, and that I can grab one! I'd imagine it will be the full payload, as seen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_ (spacecraft) (in the 'Planning' section - the UI here is 'helpfully' trying to change the anchor tag to a brickset set page link - also, copy and paste that link instead of clicking it, because the link keeps getting broken between 'Ulysses_' and '(spacecraft)').
Crossing fingers for no data errors or typos on the display plaques! :D
Still waiting for a LEGO SPACE theme reboot, it's been almost eight years . . .
Awesome set! Kinda wished it was in the same scale as Saturn V and the International Space Station.
I can like space as much as the next guy, but by now I feel that the Space Shuttle may be overdone. It is iconic, and was historic, sure, but it has not flown for nearly ten years, was continually over budget, and had enough design flaws for two fatal accidents. I feel like discussing it now is like discussing the Sopwith Camel at the start of WWII: innovative for its days, but flaws are evident in retrospect and better options exist now.
So I appreciate the real-world-based sets that branch out from the one launcher everybody knows and instead include things like heavy-lift rockets, orbiting space stations, and surface rovers.
A very impressive and solid build, if a bit expensive. Luckily I don't like realistic space themed sets so my wallet is safe this time.
@joelcarvajalcap said:
"Awesome set! Kinda wished it was in the same scale as Saturn V and the International Space Station. "
The space station comes with a roughly scaled shuttle and it is very small. Being scaled to the Saturn V would also result in a smaller model, although not as small as the ISS version.
I was lucky enough to see two Space Shuttle launches at Kennedy Space Center many years ago... Whatever happens, this set will be mine :-)
Not buying the shuttle but it's incredible. I know a lot of people are tired of NASA space ships as I am but this looks great.
The roof of the flight deck, those quarter dome/dish pieces, are they new?
Will anybody be complaining about the black background on the box for this +18 set?
I'm a huge space exploration enthusiast and will definitely be purchasing this.
@benbacardi:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-31
I’m not even going to bother trying to read the specs in my tiny iPod screen, but the set actually does represent STS-31, which was the mission when Hubble was launched aboard Discovery. So, I’ll have to take your word for it on the specs, but they did at least get the mission number correct.
@northgeorgiamasonry:
Or you could be seeing a different group of people respond. I don’t comment much on the aesthetics of Technic sets, for example, because I rarely buy them, and I’m generally not familiar enough with the cars to make accurate comments (I did like that they’ve started producing sailboats, though).
@tne328:
The hardware wasn’t as much to blame as the culture. The Mercury/Gemini/Apollo craft never never advanced past being experimental vehicles, which is why they focused more on test pilots during the first two programs. All of that was just to get to Apollo 11, and they only sent six more missions to the moon. One of those almost killed the entire crew, and one of the Apollo 1 test exercises did kill the entire crew. Both the Challenger and Columbia disasters could have been avoided, but the first time they had stopped perceiving this system as an experimental spacecraft, and treated it like a bus trip. There were additional issues with the second one, but it was still a case where they were anticipating mistake-free missions.
With the number of large engine nozzles that all these space sets have been using, surely it might be time to create a new part, I mean, wooden tubs have their uses but...
This is a definite buy for me! I don't have a shuttle (yet), and previous models go for prices I'm not willing to pay on the aftermarket (like anything interesting really). No idea where to put this, but it doesn't really matter because right now I'm mostly buying without building anyways :)
@Jackthenipper said:
"With the number of large engine nozzles that all these space sets have been using, surely it might be time to create a new part, I mean, wooden tubs have their uses but..."
Long overdue. Just remolding the existing design to remove the barrel hoops would be an improvement.
@Jelippo said:
"Are those reflective panels on the inside?"
it does look like it, but most likely reflective stickers...
Shame there's no orange boosters. Still looks incredible though
How do minifigures fit in it? Add a couple stud shooters and I'll take a dozen
Oooooft!
Amazing model, but unfortunately for me the price and size have veered into UCS territory. The Saturn V, lunar lander and ISS were all great in large part because they were so affordable.
I'll have to admire this one from afar unfortunately!
I want the Hubble Space Telescope without the shuttle.
Why are the NASA patches (I think) blurred in the designer video? The set is licensed, so...?
@Balthazar_Brannigan said:
"This is so cool! It’s been so long since we’ve had a LEGO space shuttle.
That said... is it weird that I want to simply stick with 10213? I can’t believe I’d pass on a space set, but I’m actually content with the gorgeous minifig-compatible one I already have."
As a fellow owner of 10213, I'm with you.
This is nice and all, but I think I'll just stick with my copy of 7470 that I've had since 2003.
@Snaz said:
"All of you complaining about the stickers: Would you rather have the possibility of a scuffed, misaligned plaque because it's printed, or a sticker that you align yourself and is rarely ever misprinted?"
They've also said in the past it's a quality and legibility thing - printing white on black doesn't always come out looking very good.
Oh wow! I used to watch the Space Shuttle launches when I was little, and have fond memories of everything that came from those missions - particularly the renewed interest in space exploration.
I WILL be getting this day one! Just wish I hadn't bought the Medieval Blacksmith...
Since it uses stickers they should include all other shuttle names as well so you can choose how to name yours.
Instant buy from me. Now bring on Creator 18+ Mars Perseverance!
Does anyone know if it is a requirement to purchase the space shuttle before you can redeem your points for the Ulysses set? Or can you redeem the points without having purchased the shuttle?
@Snaz said:
"All of you complaining about the stickers: Would you rather have the possibility of a scuffed, misaligned plaque because it's printed, or a sticker that you align yourself and is rarely ever misprinted?"
You sir/madam have clearly and vastly overrated my ability to apply a sticker to my own satisfaction.
Shame about stickers, especially that big plaque.
I wasn't interested in this until I saw it came with the Hubble Telescope. I have a soft spot for it after NASA turned it from a joke that couldn't focus into a premier peace of stellar photography.
Mind blown! Love it!
I love it!, but I’m not sure if I have the space for this to be an instant purchase.
I like this although I probably won't buy it as I'm waiting on the June sets! But great display set never the less lego!!
@TheWackyWookiee said:
"I love it!, but I’m not sure if I have the space for this to be an instant purchase."
You don’t have ‘the space’ LOL
I might have bought this if it was £130 but £170 feels too much. Great set though.
Compared to the Saturn V, this one loses in every category, for my liking.
- Price (ridiculous imho and extremely bad value for money)
- Stickers (at such a price point insulting at best. The Saturn V had none and still was much cheaper. What is LEGO thinking?)
- even source material, see below
The Shuttle program was cool, but if one is honest it was a tremendous waste of money and resources, especially when compared to the Russian Sojuz program, which not only is much better value for money but is also still going strong, though it is even older than the Shuttle.
Oh, and did I mention those ugly hinges. Even Classic Space sets from the Eighties had less obvious hinge solutions.
@NafNaf:
Boosters are white. It’s the expendable liquid fuel tank that’s orange, just because there’s no point in adding several hundred pounds of paint to something that’s just going to burn up in the atmosphere after they cut it loose. The solid rocket boosters eject at a lower altitude, allowing them to be recovered and refitted for future flights, so the paint helps protect the exterior surface.
@CCC:
Anyone else feel like “being okay for adults” takes a little bit of the fun out of it?
@Snaz:
*cough10179cough*
Also, never assume that every builder is capable of applying stickers better than the factory is capable of applying print. Print doesn’t curl up and turn to dust, either. Print doesn’t get bubbles, or hair, or fingerprints trapped underneath. Print is rarely cockeyed, or hanging over the edge of the part. Print doesn’t peel off because the edges weren’t firmly pressed down.
Look, I’m usually one of the first few people to explain why adults get stickers while kids get prints, and how stickers make many of these sets possible in the first place, but it’s a rare sticker that I actually get excited about, and when I do it’s because I can do other things with it. Applying stickers is one part of the building process that I don’t particularly enjoy, and some of that stems from the fact that I am rather meticulous about sticker application. Parts are quick to attach and usually self-aligning. Stickers are like hitting speed bumps on the freeway. Nobody’s saying you can’t attach them as fast as regular parts, but it’ll probably look like a wreck afterwards.
@MisterBrickster:
It’s not that they can’t do it, but that it’s a lot more work than printing dark on light. Basically, to make it look good, you’d have to apply at least two layers of white, slightly oversized, and then you’d have to print black to put a nice clean edge on everything. It’s kinda like making sugar cookies, in that way. You don’t just grab a lump of batter and make a fully-formed cookie out of it. You roll out a large sheet of batter and use cookie cutters to trim off the parts you don’t want.
@ZinZinMoretto:
They might have done that, but the Hubble was launched aboard Discovery for STS-31, so as the set is depicted, everything matches up. What would be cool, though, is if they included a second plaque sticker with the Ulysses for STS-41 (the mission when Ulysses was launched aboard Discovery).
@AustinPowers:
The Soyuz is still in use because they can’t afford to develop a new model. We could still be launching Saturn V rockets, but they weren’t really conducive to “science lab in space”. Skylab was one of the last Apollo-era launches, and it had a short expiration date. Neither the Saturn V, nor the Soyuz, would have been able to build the ISS alone. Hubble is cut off from further maintenance missions because whatever we launch next won’t be capable of doing the job.
The Space Shuttle was flawed in that there was no way to abort a launch once you fired off the engines, but it was the 18-wheeler of space exploration, and it’s currently looking like there will never be anything equivalent to it in our lifetimes.
They will have to release a service pack to fix the Hubble mirror.
Very pleased to see this being released. The last two Creator Expert Shuttles were during my dark age, and I never fancied a 2nd hand one with so much white to yellow.
This looks superb. A definite day 1 purchase.
Seems odd that they would have all the promotional material with Dr Kathy Sullivan and not at least include a minifig to represent her.
That collection of stickers is just nuts. Is this the start of a new theme, "Speed Champions In Space"?
@MisterBrickster said:
" @Snaz said:
"All of you complaining about the stickers: Would you rather have the possibility of a scuffed, misaligned plaque because it's printed, or a sticker that you align yourself and is rarely ever misprinted?"
They've also said in the past it's a quality and legibility thing - printing white on black doesn't always come out looking very good."
It's strange that LEGO is the only brick building brand that uses that excuse. Brands like Cobi, LOZ and QMan (and many others) don't have any problems with printing light on dark. And they even have perfect printing on $10 sets.
Lego should stop telling lies, and just print everything. Specially if it's a expensive display set, like the Space Shuttle Discovery.
"My preciousssss." -Gollem
Definitely going to pick this bad boy up.
@audaver said:
" @Snaz said:
"All of you complaining about the stickers: Would you rather have the possibility of a scuffed, misaligned plaque because it's printed, or a sticker that you align yourself and is rarely ever misprinted?"
You sir/madam have clearly and vastly overrated my ability to apply a sticker to my own satisfaction."
Generally, yes, since it'd be factory error and I could then get a new piece, but with sticker's, they don't normally send new ones for buyer error.
@PurpleDave : the Soyuz has been updated constantly over the decades. And why spend insane amounts of money to develop a replacement when the original is still perfectly capable of doing what it is supposed to, and at a fraction of the cost of the Shuttle. I don't know about the cost effectiveness of the Dragon system, but knowing Elon I would wager to guess that it is also quite good in that aspect.
@AustinPowers said:
" @PurpleDave : the Soyuz has been updated constantly over the decades. And why spend insane amounts of money to develop a replacement when the original is still perfectly capable of doing what it is supposed to, and at a fraction of the cost of the Shuttle. I don't know about the cost effectiveness of the Dragon system, but knowing Elon I would wager to guess that it is also quite good in that aspect. "
Actually, the Dragon system is kinda meh in that aspect, and human rated flights end up more expensive, than shuttle launches. The thing with Elon is, he is good at convincing you, that he does something cheaper, than anyone else. He actually does things at comparable, but mostly a little higher prices, than anyone else. In terms of raw mass, sure he ends up being a little cheaper, but not on human rated flights.
Dang. On the one hand, that is a lot of money. On the other hand, it looks pretty awesome, and Discovery IS my favourite orbiter...
@audaver said:
" @Snaz said:
"All of you complaining about the stickers: Would you rather have the possibility of a scuffed, misaligned plaque because it's printed, or a sticker that you align yourself and is rarely ever misprinted?"
You sir/madam have clearly and vastly overrated my ability to apply a sticker to my own satisfaction."
Time to get some soapy water or window cleaner and step up your sticker game.
Due to their placement those reflective stickers are egregious, but thankfully I don't think that their application is important for display at all.
Wonderful feat of Lego design and engineering. Kudos to the designers!
Day 1 purchase for me.
oh my, oh my, oh my. that is awesome.
A definite purchase for me but...
... not even a NASA astronaut minifigure on the display stand?
Seriously?
@AustinPowers:
Quite simply because the Soyuz is capable of doing a fraction of the workload of the Shuttle, with a fraction of the success rate. The most powerful launch vehicle in the entire R-7 family is the Soyuz-2.1b, which can carry a Low Earth Orbit payload of 18,100 pounds. The Shuttle was capable of hauling 53,590 pounds to the same orbit. Note that the Soyuz launches were delivering three people to the ISS, while the Shuttle launches were capable of sending seven people to the same station with a new module for the station in the cargo bay. To achieve the same, you’d have to chain three Soyuz 2.1b rockets together. I would not advise doing so.
The R-7 family has launched 1917 times, with 117 failures and 3 partial failures, or an 87.6% success rate. The Shuttle family has flown 135 times with only two failures, or a 98.5% success rate. For all the media attention the loss of the Challenger and Columbia were, the STS had a better mission success rate than the Apollo program.
What ended the Shuttle program was that there was no way to eject during launch (something I think every other manned orbital flight has been capable of), the Shuttle itself is too heavy to get to the moon (let alone Mars), and an 18-wheeler is overkill if you just need to take a trip to pick up groceries.
@PjtorXmos said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @PurpleDave : the Soyuz has been updated constantly over the decades. And why spend insane amounts of money to develop a replacement when the original is still perfectly capable of doing what it is supposed to, and at a fraction of the cost of the Shuttle. I don't know about the cost effectiveness of the Dragon system, but knowing Elon I would wager to guess that it is also quite good in that aspect. "
Actually, the Dragon system is kinda meh in that aspect, and human rated flights end up more expensive, than shuttle launches. The thing with Elon is, he is good at convincing you, that he does something cheaper, than anyone else. He actually does things at comparable, but mostly a little higher prices, than anyone else. In terms of raw mass, sure he ends up being a little cheaper, but not on human rated flights."
This statement is factually incorrect, according to this NASA report: https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-20-005.pdf SpaceX's Dragon 2 costs 55 million USD per seat to the international space station, whereas according to this site here: https://www.planetary.org/articles/nasas-commercial-crew-is-a-great-deal-for-the-agency the space shuttle 170 million USD per seat. I don't about you, but based on these figures, Dragon 2 seems quite a bit cheaper than the space shuttle ;).
spaceship .. spaceship... SPACESHIP!!
@yellost said:
"In addition, VIPs will be able to purchase an exclusive item with their points; an Ulysses Space Probe, available for 1,800 VIP Points, which the Space Shuttle Discovery also deployed in 1990 on a mission to scan the Sun
I'm really curious what that one looks like, now... I hope it's on the same level of detail as Hubble...
Any idea what those golden rods are for on the first pictures ? I can't see them anywhere else..."
Those golden rods are suppose to represent the solar panels folded up inside the cargo bay.
So a VIP bonus Ulysses Space Probe and coin both available on 1st April?
On the fence about this one. Looks great, but those stickers on the inside will be the death of me - and a bit hefty at AU$299 (strangely we’ve gone back to not listing the AU price on press releases).
Not sure why suddenly release a new space shuttle out of nowhere...did I miss something...it seems so random and lego could release many other things besides a space shuttle. It looks like a good product for space shuttle fans but fortunately not not my cup of tea lol
@eMJee83 said:
"What is the second VIP-item?
Looks cool!"
According to zusammengebaut.com the two VIP items are the Ulysses Space Probe for 1,800 VIP points and an A3 poster of the Space Shuttle for 750 VIP points.
All I can say is I’m super excited about this set. The Saturn V really didn’t appeal to me, but when my wife wanted to get me a present I decided to get it and was very pleasantly surprised. But my issue with it is that the Apollo missions came to an end before I was born.
The shuttle of course was all during my lifetime and I was fascinated with it as a kid. This is the definition of a spaceship to me. To see it in such great detail is really exciting. Of course I would have liked it if they included the boosters and fuel tank, but $200 seems outrageous enough, I’m glad they decided that it didn’t need to be $400. Plus I think the inclusion of the Hubble is pretty awesome as it really allows you to put this set to use.
@LegoRobo said:
" @vader11
April 12 marks the 40th anniversary of the first launch of the space shuttle program, so it’s not completely random :)
"
and the 24th of April marks the 41st anniversary of STS-31, the mission in this set.
@fakespacesquid said:
" @BrickC137 said:
"I want this so bad! Probably won’t be a day one purchase, it’ll depend on what else is Released later this year.
Also, the twitter video ends with a new slogan: Adults Welcome
https://twitter.com/lego_group/status/1373982958357508097?s=21"
Yes, that slogan and the corresponding section of the website came out around the end of January"
Well, clearly I've been on top of things lol
Nice model, but I was expecting something a bit bigger… I'll buy it, but not sure if it'll be a day one purchase.
At least it's not more expensive in Belgium than in other countries, for once. TLG's pricing 'logic':
80107 and 21326: €99.99 in Germany, €109.99 in Belgium
21325: 149.99€ in Germany, €169.99 in Belgium
10295: 129.99€ in Germany, €149.99 in Belgium
10283: 179.99€ in Germany and in Belgium!
Go figure…
The Hubble Telescope does not have a lens in the front. So I don’t know what that’s supposed to be.
I don't like the idea of having to spend VIP points on what's basically a GWP set. Why not just make it VIP exclusive like the Porsche VIP pack? Now they're making us get rid of our precious VIP points
@HoodedOne said:
"The Hubble Telescope does not have a lens in the front. So I don’t know what that’s supposed to be."
This picture shows a lens structure: https://hubblesite.org/files/live/sites/hubble/files/home/_images/Hubble-home-banner-video-fallback-1200x1200.png
@HangedSanchez:
What I see is a hinged aperture cover, which can be closer to seal up the delicate interior if debris is being tracked into the area. At the other end of the interior is the infamous mirror that almost forced them to scuttle the satellite. Just inside the opening is a rear-facing cylinder which either contains the imaging unit or directs the light in a 90° angle to an imaging unit mounted outside the tube. Telescopes that size never have lenses mounted across the front of the tube.
@HangedSanchez said:
" @HoodedOne said:
"The Hubble Telescope does not have a lens in the front. So I don’t know what that’s supposed to be."
This picture shows a lens structure: https://hubblesite.org/files/live/sites/hubble/files/home/_images/Hubble-home-banner-video-fallback-1200x1200.png"
What you see is the mounting point of the secondary mirror. (The main mirror is at the bottom/rear). The secondary mirror is mounted about half way between the main mirror and the aperture (opening)
@MudkipDoom said:
"This statement is factually incorrect, according to this NASA report: https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-20-005.pdf SpaceX's Dragon 2 costs 55 million USD per seat to the international space station, whereas according to this site here: https://www.planetary.org/articles/nasas-commercial-crew-is-a-great-deal-for-the-agency the space shuttle 170 million USD per seat. I don't about you, but based on these figures, Dragon 2 seems quite a bit cheaper than the space shuttle ;)."
The comparison in the article from the "Planetary Society" is a bit unfair, when talking about total cost of getting stuff into orbit. It compares the costs of Shuttle development + running cost against the cost of contracting SpaceX and a bit of development on NASA's side. That's a bit like comparing developing and building a car and then maintaining and running it for a bit of time, against renting a car and paying for maintenance, a bit of development and running it.
Also, we are talking about two vehicles, that have fundamentally different hauling capabilities. The shuttle can take 7 people and quite a bit of cargo. For the Dragon, you have to decide, between either taking people or cargo.
Even the payload specialist and space station engineer Ravi Margasahayam from NASA said, that they are paying more overall for getting things into orbit, than they did with the Shuttle.
You also have to take into account, that it would be quite foolish of SpaceX to undercut the competition by that much, when 10% cheaper than the next guy is sufficient for getting the contract. Ofc it's in the best interest to claim, that they are x times cheaper, than the competition, but that is before all the fine print is added in.
Looks great, but you can always tell when Lego has something to hide. There is only one photo (amongst many) where we see just a glimpse of the underside. Zooming in shows it to be bog standard plate bottoms. I had hoped it would be tiled and that was where the piece count had gone but no. Still struggling to see where that piece count goes. Techic pins perhaps?
@LinuxBrickie said:
"Looks great, but you can always tell when Lego has something to hide. There is only one photo (amongst many) where we see just a glimpse of the underside. Zooming in shows it to be bog standard plate bottoms. I had hoped it would be tiled and that was where the piece count had gone but no. Still struggling to see where that piece count goes. Techic pins perhaps?"
Alas, there go my plans of displaying it upside down
It's beautiful. Like the rest of you, I have my gripes about the hinges and stickers, but I think I'll be getting this, eventually.
@PjtorXmos:
Isn’t there enough room to strap a full-size bus in the Shuttle bay? Even accounting for the fact that some of the crew have to fly the Shuttle back to Earth with the returning ISS crew, they had to be getting more out of one Shuttle launch than they will be out of one crewed and one uncrewed Dragon. And for as long as the Shuttle was docked each trip, you had all those extra hands to perform maintenance. I think the loss of the Shuttle is what’s spelling the inevitable end for the ISS, as several of the modules maxed out the Shuttle’s capacity. With that off the board, there’s really no way to put a replacement module in the ISS orbit.
@LinuxBrickie:
We’ve been seeing a lot more of sets that have deceptively high piece counts compared to what you see on the box. I just built Winnie the Pooh, and it felt like someone slipped a brick in the box when I picked it up. The overall model isn’t any larger than it appears to be from the photos (though the foliage seems more full in real life), but there’s just a ton of really small to medium pieces that are necessary to achieve that level of detail. If you want something with the piece count of the Technic Space Shuttle, then it’s going to look like the Technic Space Shuttle.
@fakespacesquid:
Nah, you can still display it upside-down. You just need to hang it from the ceiling so you only see it from below.