LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309)Even though it doesn’t include minifigures (but three m

LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V (21309)

Even though it doesn’t include minifigures (but three microfigures instead), this latest LEGO Ideas set is simple too amazing not to share it with you.

I guess the press release about covers it all (pay special attention to the piece count, just one of many lovely details):

The wait is over! After a year in development we’re incredibly proud to unveil and present the first official images of the LEGO Ideas 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V designed by LEGO Ideas members Felix Stiessen (saabfan) and Valérie Roche (whatsuptoday).

You’ll be able to find the 1 meter high (approximately 1:110 scale) icon of space exploration in stores from the 1st of June, 2017 for a recommended retail price of just USD 119.99 / EURO 119.99 / GBP 109.99. With 1969 LEGO elements the 21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V rockets its way into LEGO Ideas history as the tallest LEGO Ideas set, as well as the one containing most elements.

Here is the official description:

Make history with the LEGO® NASA Apollo Saturn V, the first rocket to put people on the Moon! Build the 3 stages of this stunning meter-high rocket and display it on the stand or launch into orbit. Offload the S-IC and S-II sections, dock the lunar lander with the command service module, and complete a successful Moon landing mission!

The set also includes 3 stands to display the model horizontally, 3 new-for-June-2017 astronaut microfigures for role-play recreations of the Moon landings, plus a booklet about the manned Apollo missions and the fan designers of this educational and inspirational LEGO Ideas set.

Felix and Valérie’s collaboration was guided by a shared passion for space exploration

Despite never meeting in person, space and LEGO fans Felix Stiessen and Valérie Roche beat the odds with their wonderfully brick built version of the iconic Apollo rocket. It was a collaboration that tested their skills in numerous ways but, as it turns out, the long-distance collaboration also proved to be a significant benefit to their project, as Felix states “there were often times when one of us abandoned the project for a few weeks and came back to it later; however, thanks to the fact that it is a collaborative project, it was always the case that one of us continued making progress on the project and re-motivated the other”.

Felix and Valérie’s collaborative spirit was tranferred to the LEGO design team as well, who took over the project once it was approved, in order to ensure it lived up to LEGO quality standards. Two designers, Michael Psiaki and Carl Thomas Mirriam, motivated by their enthusiasm for space, teamed up to bring the final model to life. “We were actually not asked. I was so excited when I heard that the project was potentially going to happen, and told Carl about it because I knew he was also a space fanatic. We decided it would be really cool to work together since it is such a big mode, so we approached the Ideas team about helping develop the product”, Michael said.