Nifty 1,913-Piece Lego Lunar Rover Set Is Here, Folds Up Like the Real Thing

Lego designers have done it again. One of the newest sets from the Technic team is a detailed recreation of the Apollo 17 lunar rover, which allowed the astronauts to travel the farthest distance in what would be the last time mankind walked on the moon.

Officially named the NASA Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle – LRV, the Technic set boasts 1,913 pieces and retails for $219.99. Included is a displayable model version (with info placards!) to which all three equipment sets can be attached or removed from the LRV. These are a battery pack, a communications unit, and the unique-to-Apollo-17 Traverse Gravimeter Experiment (TGE). The TGE was used to measure the moon’s gravity and geological substructure.

The Lego LRV features a spring-loaded suspension system with its four wheels turning via the same T-handle as the astronauts. Also, just like the full-scale LRV, the Lego replica can be separated and folded into a compact form, which was required for transport. 

There are Easter eggs, too. An interpretation of Big Muley (a.k.a. Lunar Sample 61016) makes an appearance. Named after Bill Muehlberger, who headed Apollo 16’s geology team, Big Muley weighed 26 pounds and was approximately the size of a football. It was the largest and heaviest space rock sample brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts. Of course, the Lego version is more of a tribute than a realistic representation because of round rock and square brick, etc.

Space.com notes that the Lego set’s release date coincided with the anniversary of the Apollo 15 mission. Perhaps just coincidence, the LRV model name simply references “Apollo” and not a specific mission, even if the LRV itself is based on Apollo 17.

The website, which is naturally dedicated to all things Final Frontier, also lists all of the Apollo 17-specific components, many of which are not labeled within the kit. In an interview with Lego, this particular NASA-inspired set is said to be much more involved in terms of research and accuracy. 

“We actually met with an Apollo archivist when we were developing the model to check some facts, and he and [Lego lead designer] Olav [Krøigaard] just sat there like a couple of life-long friends, just sharing information about the rover,” said Dan Meehan, Lego senior design manager. “So the lunar rover has the most accurate detail I think I have ever seen in a Lego set. It was a labor of love.” The realism is undoubtedly compelling, especially when you consider how a bunch of bricks and plastic pieces transform into a faithful replica of the battery-powered lunar moon buggy.