Offbeat
Movie-inspired set ticks the clever Technic box, but at a price
Lego has released a set to coincide with
the Project Hail Mary movie, and it’s a clever bit of Technic-style engineering, even if the
price is a little high.
Usually, we only look at Lego builds of
real objects – think Concorde and the recent Artemis set. However, having
enjoyed Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary (the book more than the film), I was keen to see
what Lego had done with its license.
The answer is: it’s good, but a bit pricey.
The 830-piece set comprises a model of the
eponymous spacecraft, a minifig-scale Ryland Grace, and Lego’s version of the
Rocky character. It also, thankfully, does not have the stickers that have
blighted recent Lego sets. This set is not cheap, though Lego has at least
invested in some pre-printed components rather than making customers fiddle
with sticky transfers that invariably end up looking awful.
Lego lists the set’s age as 18+, which I’d
quibble with. It’s a lengthy (at least in terms of steps) but straightforward
build. Budget around half a day to a full day for building it, depending on
your skill level and how often little bits of Lego get flung around the room.
Starting with the spacecraft, it’s
worth emphasizing that this is essentially a Technic set. If Technic components aren’t your
thing, this set isn’t for you. However, persevere, and it is difficult not to
be impressed with the design work. As the
spacecraft comes together, so the mechanism reveals itself. Turn a crank, and
the crew modules slide out before the entire spacecraft rotates to simulate
gravity. Turn the crank in the opposite direction to return the crew modules.
No, it’s not like the book, but it is like the film, which deviates from the book in several other places too. We’d be tempted to fit a motor to achieve
smoother rotation.
The spacecraft is mounted on a stand that
also includes a place for the Grace minifigure and the Rocky character. Both have pre-printed accessories, such as a tape measure, which will be
familiar to those who have seen the film.
It’s a fun build and an impressive bit
of Technic design. The elephant in the room, however, is cost. At £99.99 in the
UK, this is not cheap. Certainly not when compared to the Artemis Technic set,
which retails for £54.99. Turn the crank there, and the SLS rises,
boosters separate, and Orion heads off to the Moon. Yes, there are fewer pieces
(and some stickers to deal with), but for our money, it’s a better value set.
However, if you’re a fan of Weir’s book or
the movie adaptation, there’s a lot to like here, and the Technic
designer deserves an award for making the mechanics of the spacecraft work.
If only it were a little cheaper. ®