Lego Curiosity Rover Kit

Lego was my favourite toy as a kid (and my 5-year-old grandson says the same thing). I recently saw that Lego had worked with NASA to develop a model of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover. The kits were initially hard to find, but a local toy store got a limited number in stock and my wife bought me one for Father's Day.

It's quite a nice kit, made up of 295 pieces and is recommended for ages 10 and up. I put mine together in less than an hour following the instructions. The manual looks quite thick, but some of the
information is duplicated in seven languages. As well as assembly instructions, it gives a nice overview of the Curiosity Rover and it's mission and capabilities.

Montage of Images During Assembly

The kit seems to use mostly standard Lego parts with a few customer pieces. It even comes with a stand/platform to sit on.

I have followed the missions to Mars including the Curiosity Rover, and was familiar with it, but putting the kit together really helped me visualize what the real rover is like.

Curiosity Rover on Mars (or maybe the backyard)

If you can get your hands on one, I recommend the kit for yourself and/or any Lego or space enthusiast.