This was the first build I had done in years and I had a lot of fun with it. I made a couple mistakes along the way (mixed up a few of the side panels at first), but overall really got me back into lego.

The only minor issue I have is with the stickers as I'm not generally a fan of applying stickers, but I understand their inclusion for real-life accuracy, and they were a very small part of this larger set.

I chose to buy this set because I liked the selection of pieces that they used in it. They used a nice colour for the gold foil which I really liked. Building the set was an interesting experience, especially making the individual parts of the chassis. It's really cool how the Lunar Lander rests on the base plate. The disc pieces rest on the four smaller craters positioned near the corners of the base plate. I also like the way that the minifigures were made.

51 years ago, men first stepped foot on the moon. This lego set commemorates this moment with one of my favorite lego sets of all time. I got this set around it's initial release, and was very excited to build it.

Building experience

I loved building this set, and it incorporates a lot of sideways building on the gold outside. I enjoyed the interesting part use with the outside frame, and of course, the gold color on the outside is amazing. The crater looks great on the outside and looks really realistic

Parts

A lot of gold, and contains 8? 7? exclusive parts. Lots of relatively rare pieces such as the baseplates and some nice pearl gray parts as well. There is an abundance of gray parts, and has the "Apollo 11 lunar lander " printed tile

Playability

I cant ask much of this set for playability, as it's meant as a display model but there is some play features. The upper part comes off, as it is held in with 2 clips. However, mine seems somewhat loose so it could be improved on. There is a small interior with studs so the astronauts can stand. There is also 2 flaps on the side to hold a camera and a laser reflector. It's quite sturdy, with the exception of how the top is a little loose.

Minifigures

2 astronaut minifigures are included with this set, and they are almost identical, with a nice astronaut torso with a nasa logo and helmets with the pearl gold visors. They however do have yellow generic heads, but that's OK because of the helmets.

Verdict

Very nice set, and for $100 certainly does justice. I love the overall look of this set and makes a very nice display model.

I was able to get this set right before this amazing anniversary and write this review exactly 50 years after first man from Earth has landed on the silver globe.

Model

First thing to build is the baseplate. It is rather monotonic built, but main crater looks great. Also "small steps for a man" looks astonishing. This base add a lot to whole craft stability. There is a place for both minifig to stand and for the flag. Whole is surrounded by black border with an only printed part in this set - name plate. It is a simple thing, but adds a lot to the overview.

And then comes the beauty! This is one of the best models I've ever get to build. Building process is quite hard and kinda repeatable, but effect is worth nearly two hours of building. Lander is almost perfect reproduction of original craft. It looks glorious! It is so accurate, that even has a oxygen bottles inside. Lower part of craft has two hidden compartment, one containing a camera and one to hold a laser reflector - simple construction of an inverted tile and a panel. Model is covered with many gold bricks and some golden stickers. Legs are solid, but are the most stable, when everything stans on the base. On the one leg there is a plate with a sticker presenting a pic of Earth and signatures of astronauts. Though it's a sticker, it looks cool and may be really useful.

Top part is attached to the rest of the body with just two clips. It is build out of three separated parts, which let you put astronauts inside. On the walls there are many sticker consols. Over a door there is a windscreen. Canopy is finished with some antennas, and four small engines. At the bottom of the craft is also one more engine.

Everything is solid and quite stable, but it is little bit hard to move both base and craft at once. Craft is sturdy enough to allows younger ones to play around with it.

Parts

There are many super useful parts, like huge amount of studs with hole, 1x1 with stud on side. There are also many parts in gold and some in silver. Overall, pieces are valuable part of the set.

Minifigs

Both astronauts are nearly identical, the only difference is their face. Body print with NASA logo on looks perfect. They are great addition to this set, and to space minifig collection.

Summary

Set is clearly one of the best I've ever got. Building process isn't so obvious and easy to follow, but there are some repetition. Model looks astonishing, some kind serious and looks great on a display. Is also kind of playable. Parts, especially those gold are great and super useful. Minifigs are nice final touch. This set is really worth recommending.

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Hope it was helpful.

More photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DV3EmBpmKyfXp7Pw6

The Apollo 11 Lunar Lander set is a great model that continues the trend of Lego producing great space-related sets. Released leading up to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, this set does a great job of depicting the Lunar Lander used during the Apollo 11 moon landing. It's also a great compliment to the Saturn V Rocket set as well.

This model comes with the obvious Lunar Lander itself, two astronauts, and a moon base. The building starts with the moon base, using dark grey tiles and exposed studs to help showcase the rocky and rough surface of the moon. There's a neat crater built in as well to further showcase the surface. While I don't know how accurate this crater is to the actual landing site, I think it's a great addition that adds some detail and personality to the base. The best part of the base though is probably the slot for the American Flag to be displayed with some uncovered stud spots leading up to the flag, meant to represent footsteps. It's a small detail, but it really adds to the uniqueness of the base.

The Lunar Lander vehicle has two main parts, the main base and the module part for the astronauts. There are several stickers that get applied to the base to help represent the gold-reflective surface, but I don't find them to be that big of a deal. I know some people loath stickers entirely, but I'm much more tolerable of them. They help to showcase the reflective surface well, so I think they're beneficial and something that printed pieces may not show well.

The one disappointment I do have with this set is the mini figures. Both figures have generic, yellow toned faces. Because this set seems to depict the actual Apollo 11 mission (and is titled as such), specific figures for Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong would have been preferable. However, that probably is easier said than done due to the rights to likeness and such. It may have been a hurdle that was too hard for Lego to overcome. I also don't know if the astronauts suits are all that accurate to the time either. They appear to be the same suits that are currently used in the ongoing space line. Something a bit more accurate would have been nice.

Overall though, this Lunar Lander is a great set for any Lego fan, but especially space enthusiasts.