LEGO SLS

9th June 2024

I’ve been a little distracted from Tinn for a few days. Instead I’ve been building a LEGO Space Launch System.

As cool as the promotional pictures look, a concern from a LEGO building friend of mine is the build would be a little repetitive. Just look at that tower. Clearly it didn’t concern me as much because I purchased the set. My friend asked me for a review, so here goes.

Is the build repetitive? Yes. But, LEGO has done a really good job breaking up the monotony. The build predictably starts with the base, but you don’t add all the detail to it straight away. You then build a few segments of the tower before taking a break and adding some details elsewhere, then add a few more segments, then some details. As a result there is no step where you are building 12 copies of the same thing. Besides which, every section of the tower has a slight difference from every other section, so while there is an obvious pattern, there is also variation.

The rocket is built last. Again LEGO do their best to keep it interesting by mixing up the build techniques in use and jumping between the core stage and boosters. The main cylindrical parts used by the booster actually come in three varieties which I didn’t spot at first, some plain, some with printed details. This intrigues me because the set also comes with stickers.

That is my biggest criticism of the set, I’ve never met any LEGO builder who likes stickers. Sets like the Saturn V stand out in my memory because it had no stickers. This set contains a number of printed parts including the capsule which I assume is exclusive to this set, so I don’t understand why LEGO didn’t go all the way and print everything.

It’s a great looking model. It has a surprising level of detail for a LEGO model of such a huge real world structure. When looking at photos of the real SLS platform, I’m now picking out all kinds of details I’d previously missed because I just spent a week building a model version. It’s part of the reason I like these kinds of models, it gives me a better understanding and appreciation for the real thing.

I would recommend the set to any NASA/LEGO fans, especially if you already have the Saturn V, Lunar Module, ISS and Space Shuttle. If you are curious, this is how it compares side by side to the Saturn V. No surprises they are not to scale.

Now I have to find somewhere to display it...

TC