theSurlyBiker1 Comment on Got my LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover [Hands On]

Got my LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover [Hands On]

It’s been on backorder since basically the day it went on sale. I wasn’t fast enough to get my hands on the first round so it was backordered until 16 January. I was nervous when it didn’t ship until about the 20th. And of course I had to wait for FedEx Smartpost (which is when FedEx delivers it to your local Post Office, then your regular mail carrier delivers it to you – so you’re screwed twice: once because FedEx sucks, and twice because who knows when the USPS will send it out.) ANYWAY, it arrived today so of course I had to put it together.

The box!
The box!
What's in the box
What’s in the box
The instruction booklet is very high quality with a glued spine and high gloss cover/pages.
The instruction booklet is very high quality with a glued spine and high gloss cover/pages.
In addition to building instructions, the booklet has info about the Rover and the mission.
In addition to building instructions, the booklet has info about the Rover and the mission.

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Info is also mixed in with the building instructions.
Info is also mixed in with the building instructions.
Ready to build.
Ready to build.
About 25 steps into it. The main body of the rover.
About 25 steps into it. The main body of the rover.

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Starting to get some of the details.
Starting to get some of the details.
The small nuclear reactor that powers Curiosity.
The small nuclear reactor that powers Curiosity.
Another look at the rover's power source.
Another look at the rover’s power source.
One side of the wheels. It's quite a nifty contraption that allows the wheels to move almost independently over different objects. This is replicated pretty well here.
One side of the wheels. It’s quite a nifty contraption that allows the wheels to move almost independently over different objects. This is replicated pretty well here.
Wheels assembled.
Wheels assembled Just missing the probe arm and the mast.

It was a pretty simple build, as expected, but I will say there are a lot of tiny pieces that all look the same, so the constructing the struts for the wheels and the probe arm was a bit tedious. In the end, here’s what we get!

FINISHED!
FINISHED!
Camera mast.
Camera mast.
The back side.
The back side.
Another shot of the back - a good look at the wheels pitching over the rocks.
Another shot of the back – a good look at the wheels pitching over the rocks.
Close-up of the wheels and struts. As I said, their ability to operate independently is pretty close here.
Close-up of the wheels and struts. As I said, their ability to operate independently is pretty close here.
Probe arm and instruments.
Probe arm and instruments.

Overall, the Mars Curiosity Rover model is pretty cool. As a science nerd obviously this is right up my alley. As a space science nerd, this is awesome. However, as I’ve said in previous posts, in my opinion it’s too small. I think they should have made it a much larger model; part of the collector’s series of models. The body should be about 12″-14″ long, and the mast about 6-7″ high. It would have made for a great display model, like the Red 5 X-Wing, or the large Death Star, or the modular buildings. Instead, we have a little model that’s only slightly larger than some of the regular City theme cars or trucks.

Am I happy I got it? Absolutely.
Could it have been better? Absolutely.
Either way, congrats to the builder for getting your model officially created!

 

 

 

1 thought on “Got my LEGO Mars Curiosity Rover [Hands On]”

  1. ThisKidReviewsBooks's avatar
    thiskidreviewsbooks January 26, 2014 — 8:25 AM

    Awesome! But it would also be cool if we could have a life size one (made with LEGOS) and we could fit in side and drive it around. đŸ™‚

    Reply

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