Lego's awesome, big new Saturn V rocket set is a space nerd's dream
If you're a space nerd, there's never been a better time to get back into Lego, especially with a new, towering (literally) set about to hit shelves.
Following the huge buzz around the Women of NASA set announced earlier this year, Lego has announced the release date from another user-submitted idea: a Lego set of the Apollo-era Saturn V rocket.
Standing at 39-inches high ("approximately 1:110 scale," per LEGO), the rocket is the tallest Lego Ideas set made yet, and it has the most "elements" of any Lego Ideas project, with a whooping 1,969 pieces. (Naturally, since the Apollo 11 mission happened in 1969. We see you, Lego.)
Besides the HYUGE Saturn V rocket, the set also includes an Apollo Command Module and Lunar Lander with three new astronaut micro-figs.
It also comes with three stands so that you can display your built Saturn V rocket in a horizontal position in its three stages (which is how the three remaining rockets are displayed in museums, including the Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama).
The set was first proposed nearly three years ago by Felix Stiessen (saabfan) and Valérie Roche (whatsuptoday). The original proposal differs greatly from the Lego-approved version but the final product still hues close to the real thing, making it a fantastic addition.
Best of all, it's relatively affordable at $120.
The set hits shelves on June 1, 2017, in plenty of time for you to buy and build before hitting up that Apollo 11 50th anniversary tour which kicks off in Texas in October 2017.
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
