The new LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery, which was developed in collaboration with NASA, is a complex 2,354 piece build that pays homage to this pioneering moment in space history and marks the 40th anniversary since the first Space Shuttle flight on 12th of April 1981. The set, aimed at adults, features the Discovery orbiter with functional landing gear, payload bay doors, elevons and rudder; and the famous Hubble Space Telescope, which can either be folded and contained within the payload bay or expanded with solar array and displayed separately. Both also come with a display plaque which features key data from the mission. Just over 30 years on from the original mission, The LEGO Group wanted to delve deeper into people’s passions for space to really uncover what they think of the great beyond. Including, what the next 30 years could hold, the future of space travel and if there really is life on mars. I also have the most recent large shuttle set, 10213 Shuttle Adventure from 2010 (re-released in 2011 as 10231 Shuttle Expedition). Previously, this was the largest and most detailed LEGO Space Shuttle, and while it was a great model in its time, it definitely shows how far LEGO’s design sensibilities have evolved in just a single decade. Of course, the new set also retails for twice the price and has more than 1,000 additional pieces. One highlight of 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is the amount of information crammed into the manual. At almost every stage there are fascinating tidbits focusing on different aspects of the Shuttle’s construction, history and flight details, and before the build even commences there’s a beautiful double spread filled with photography and facts. I also asked a coworker, who used to be an Airedale in the US Navy, about this. He didn’t know why they did this, but confirmed that he’d seen it, and also mentioned that sometimes you could see a layer of dark red under the green. That would further suggest this acts as an anti-corrosion coating, if it’s the same shade of red. He also mentioned that the green is a flat paint, so not very reflective, which might also be a consideration.

Is it getting a bit weird how Lego stuff is getting closer and closer to scale models? If I wanted a 1/72 Space Shuttle for display I'd probably go for the Revell plastic model kit. (it'd be interesting to see this Lego product next to it). Of course you couldn't take it apart afterwards and re-use the bits... " We’ve been to known to criticise the LEGO Group for how some of its products are priced, and what you actually get for that price (did someone say VIDIYO?), but to give credit where its due, the value here speaks for itself. Milan Madge, the set designer, also provides some commentary about the difficulty in finding space to accommodate the interesting landing gear mechanism. Some additional information about the Space Shuttle and the Hubble Space Telescope is available throughout the manual too, tracing the construction of each section which is enjoyable. NASA Space Shuttle Discovery combines these important aspects of LEGO design, achieving impressive authenticity and incorporating various functions. Additionally, the scale has increased considerably following previous Space Shuttle designs, reaching 54cm in length and therefore integrating greater detail than before. Box and ContentsAnother discreet mechanism is situated between the engines and the payload bay, controlling the elevons. While the aforementioned landing gear linkage is hidden in plain sight, these dark bluish grey linkages will be completely hidden when construction is complete. The engine base is interesting as well, featuring several connected sections which create an authentic shape. Together, you can recreate the highlight of STS-31, with the ground-breaking space telescope first being placed into orbit. Now, at last, the main affair. We start by laying out the shuttle’s wingspan. Immediately you’ll build the rear landing gear and part of the spring-loaded mechanism that will deploy them. The interior of the shuttle is a multi-colored rainbow to make it easy to keep your place, but it relies most heavily on olive green.

In excess of 1,500 additional pieces means the designers have been able to include even more accurate detailing and authenticity than ever before, but it wasn’t easy – as the interview with LEGO designer Milan Madge contained within the manual attests to. Several design features of the Shuttle proved to be a real headache, such as the retractable landing gear, and the interview does a great job in explaining how the design team overcame these hurdles, as well as building anticipation for the model to come.

A big kit with big fun – the Lego NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set is an enjoyable build that is out of this world.

The first thing I have to say is that this model looks pretty darn great. It’s by far the most accurate LEGO Space Shuttle yet, and the combination of the two models together is enough to make any space fan feel a mighty need to have this in their collection. Numerous options for display are available here, facilitated by the versatile stand which slots underneath the Space Shuttle. Despite its comparatively small footprint, this is ideally located beneath the centre of gravity and feels completely stable. Moreover, I think this angled design looks beautiful, conveying an appealing impression of movement which is welcome.

Trims comprising tiles, slopes and curved slopes are then attached along the leading edge of each wing. These are reminiscent of 76161 1989 Batwing, cleverly demonstrating how LEGO hinges and wedge plates can interact. Four separate structures are attached to the wings and they feel absolutely rigid, especially after positioning large 10x10 corner plates on top. In the original plan, they were expecting to launch two missions per month, made affordable by recovery and reuse of everything but the orange external tank (which wasn’t much more than a hollow shell with some valves and mounting points). With a fleet of four orbiters (Endeavour was only built to replace Challenger, and Enterprise was not built to be space-worthy) that means a 2-month turnaround for each craft, and six launches per year. At some point, under that schedule, they would have had to mothball older orbiters and build new ones to replace them. As with new year models of cars, upgrades to the design could be rolled out each time, and the service life of the STS program could have been extended indefinitely. Nevertheless, this stand looks nice and another information plaque is supplied too, displaying specifications for the Hubble Space Telescope beneath NASA and ESA branding. The relative size of this plaque cannot accommodate the traditional blue image of the subject which seems awkward when displaying both models together, although enlarging its plaque may overwhelm the actual telescope.

Box and Contents

The one working function that leaves a bit to be desired is the control surfaces on the vertical stabilizer. They can move side to side as a rudder or flare outward as speed brakes (both by manually moving them) but they just make the vertical stabilizer look awkward and fat. Excellent detail continues across the wider camera, spectrometer and spectrograph housing, where different instruments detect and record data. The yellow highlights around the exterior accurately recreate handgrips on the Hubble Space Telescope but the associated light bluish grey sections look awkward. Unfortunately, these pieces are unavailable in metallic silver. The diagrams that Lego sends in its gorgeous manual — filled with fun facts about shuttles— are mostly self-explanatory, although I struggled in a couple of spots. To admittedly tired eyes, as I built the set over three long days for this story, it looked like Lego was asking me to build two left wheels at one point. Also, the Canadarm robotic arm has a unique piece in the middle that is easy to mistake for other grey joints, so make sure not to repeat my error of using it in an antenna and scratching my head in utter confusion for 15 minutes until I spotted the wrongly used piece. But since we’re on the topic of other shuttles, here’s the new 10283 Discovery next to 10213 Shuttle Adventure, as well as 1995’s 6339 Shuttle Launch Pad orbiter, and the shuttle from 21321 International Space Station from 2020.

These two sub-assemblies connect at a slight angle, which is achieved in a rather unique way. Hinge plates are used at one end, but in the middle a 2×3 plate with hole connects to a 1×2 jumper plate. This allows for the angle of the 2×3 plate with hole to be adjusted, facilitating its attachment to the main assembly at an offset angle. This set has the motherload of drum-lacquer metallic silver elements, since Hubble’s exterior is almost entirely covered in them, lending it a beautiful metallic sheen that’s not possible with silver plastic such as LEGO’s flat silver color. Only the 2×2 macaroni tile is new in this color, but all together you’ll get 109 pieces in metallic silver, including a whopping 62 of the 2×2 curved slopes. A couple of these bits are used on the shuttle, but nearly all of them are on Hubble.

The Completed Model

While capturing the external shape was undoubtedly important, the most significant reason for developing these unique elements becomes apparent inside. These doors are remarkably thin which maximises the internal area, thereby allowing the Hubble Space Telescope to slot inside the payload bay! This satellite nestles inside perfectly, slotting between tabs which project from the walls and the floor. NASA spacecraft have inspired numerous LEGO models, including several interesting renditions of the famous Space Shuttle. They have differed significantly in size and appearance, prioritising accuracy and detail on multiple occasions while other examples prize functionality. The set contains over 2,300 pieces and will take you the best part of six to seven hours (if not more) to finish, which already makes it a good return. If the LEGO Group had sold both models separately, they would have been fantastic sets in their own right, so to have both in one makes the deal seem otherworldly. (Okay, maybe not that good, but you get the point.) — Pictures — In fact, it’s such a wonderful design that had the LEGO Group decided to release this separately, it would no doubt garner huge praise. As it is, this is just a small part of this set, and the fact there is a gigantic Space Shuttle to build next makes for a very exciting prospect.