In a little over a month, it will be the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, the historic landing of the first Humans to ever set foot on the Moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in the “Eagle” Lunar Module (or LM as designated by design company Northrop Grumman) and spent a short amount of time on the surface of the Moon walking around, setting up small experiences, taking photographs, and communicating back to Houston (or Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center) about their observations and findings which paved the way for Apollo missions 12 through 17 over the next 3 years until 1972.
But more recently, something great has happened to coincide and commemorate the 50th Anniversary . . .
On June 1, 2019, Space.com announced a major surprise from both NASA and Lego. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of man’s first landing on the Moon, NASA and Lego teamed up to produce a model of the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander! It was some of the biggest news for space in Lego lovers since the Saturn V model was launched a couple of years ago which if you’ve read any of my earlier articles you’ll know that I own.
Knowing that this could quickly fly off the shelves as quickly as the Saturn V, I decided to head down to the Local Lego store in Chandler AZ. Fortunately, they were still on the shelves and I managed to secure mine. If you can’t get to the Lego store you can order them online by the way.
The first thing that I really liked after opening up this model is that the instructions for putting the model together don’t just include that but they also include pieces of history about the Apollo program and the Apollo 11 lander dubbed “Eagle”. Information such as the different parts of the LM which include the RCS, booster, legs, command module, cameras, payload, and other features are covered that link and therefore the model builder to read.
This model is part of the popular Lego Creator series which is Biltmore for advanced Lego builders. They recommended ages of 14 and up, but for dedicated Lego builders that may be younger than this, I don’t believe they should have much of a problem.
The Lego set comes in four separate sections, with bags clearly labeled for each of the sections such as one, two, three, and four. Per the instruction book, it’s wise to follow these in order to be able to help keep your numerous Lego parts organized and easy to find.
The first section involves building the lunar surface. Creatively placed pieces easily form the gray lunar landscape and small craters that help set the scene for the full set. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were two of the first parts of the model to be put together.
Next was the building of the LM’s lower section. The designers of this model spared no efforts to ensure that intricate details of the land are pylons, struts, and supports the part of this.
There were even gold Lego bricks to simulate the “gold foil” seen in many LM images. Per LM specifications and the Lego assembly book, the gold foil on the outside was meant to help protect the LM from solar-thermal energy as well as protect against micrometeorites.
Up to this point, it took a total of about 2 1/2 to 3 hours just to get here. The next and final sections and involved the LM command capsule. I really like the intricate detail with the added stickers and decals to simulate the control panels inside the LM. They are even removable sections so you can see the interior and be able to pose astronauts Neil and Buzz doing specific functions similar to what they did 50 years ago.
Finally, all sections were completely finished. It’s easy to put the pieces together combined or separately. An important note is that the LM does not fasten to the lunar surface base but sets freely on there. You’ll have to be careful when moving it so that it doesn’t fall off and break.
As before, the Lego model instruction manual has many pieces of information and facts about the lunar module and Buzz and Neil’s trip to the Moon. This Lego model in concert with this makes it easier to learn about the different sections and functions of the LM. I also had some additional fun namely re-creating some of the most iconic images taken of the Apollo 11 mission. Particularly, Neil Armstrong climbing off the ladder while being videotaped (giving his “That’s One Small Step for Man . . . ” statement). Secondly, there’s the iconic image of Buzz Aldrin standing and facing the camera which is been used countless times as an icon and symbol of the Apollo landing missions (and for his autograph given out thousands of times over the past 50 years).
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this Lego model at 10. If you love the Space Program and you love building models related to it, I definitely would highly recommend this Lego model. It’s going on my desk at my space-program engineering office along with the Saturn five I built last year.
To get this model, visit your nearest Lego store or for even greater ease, go to Lego.com online and order it there.
For The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, I’m Gimmick Commander Ben Faltinowski. 🇺🇸 ⭐️
© Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick, 2019, authorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ben Faltinowski and The Great Galactic Space Gimmick with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
DISCLAIMER: The images and information cited herein came from various sources and are used here are strictly for educational purposes and promotion of astronomy and support of the Private and Public Space Programs and related endeavors. The Lego model reviewed and assembled here was done to support both Lego and NASA and their Apollo 11 model. No royalties were collected or sought for this article, and this article is free to the public. It is believed that this constitutes fair use.