As the first rocket to put people on the moon, NASA's Saturn V occupies a special place in the history of space exploration. And now it can occupy a special place in your Lego collection, too, with the company today launching an Apollo Saturn V replica Lego kit.
NASA's Saturn V rocket was constructed specifically to carry people to the moon, and was then used throughout the Apollo program in the 1960s and 70s. The real version stood 111 m (363 ft) tall – 18 meters (60 ft) taller than the Statue of Liberty – and weighed 2.8 million kg (6.2 million lb) when fully fuelled.
The replica version offered by Lego will stand one meter tall (3.3 ft) when finished, and allows builders to put together the rocket's three separate stages. It also comes with astronaut figurines and a moon lander, should you want to play out your Lego-lunar fantasies.
The Apollo Saturn V kit is a product of Lego Ideas, a platform whereby fans can come up with their own ideas for Lego sets and share designs and or models for feedback from other Lego fans.
This particular project was dreamt up by Lego fans Felix Stiessen and Valérie Roche, and was then taken on by Lego's design team to produce an official version. Remarkably, the kit includes 1,969 pieces, a tip of the hat to the year 1969 when man first set foot on the moon.
The Apollo Saturn V Lego set will be available in stores from June 1 and will carry a recommended retail price of US$120.
Source: Lego