LEGO Creator Expert NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander 10266 Building Toy Set for Ages 16 1087 Pieces

I’m biased about this kit. I remember watching the Apollo 11 lunar landing on my grandparent’s console TV when I was 4 years old, and I’ve been a fan of the space program ever since. I put this kit together over the course of 2 nights, and I understand why so many people love it, but I also understand the criticisms I see. It was a lot of fun to build, but the repetition did get a little tedious. Pros - Lego went to a lot of trouble to get the details accurate. The instructions includes a lot of history on the Apollo 11 mission and details about the Lunar Lander. Cons - I can see why people feel like this model is flimsy. The Lander legs connections have a lot of play to them - there’s a MOD online that claims to address this, but I haven’t tried it yet. The base is not as rigid as one might like it to be. It holds together, but it could be improved with a little more bracing, at the trade-off of making it a little taller. The connections between the different pieces of the ascent stage could be a little more robust. Overall, I strongly recommend this. It makes a great looking display. Read more

I was happy to get this kit 10266 when Lego made it available again for the standard price; hopefully they'll continue to make it available now and then. It's a classic build that's been around awhile, but never falls out of popularity. Best part of this model--it answers an age-old question. I was 8 years old when we landed on the moon, and everyone at school said, "Neil Armstrong wasn't first on the moon--the other guy had to go out and set up the camera!". But as you can see from the pic, the lander had a compartment (nicely hinged in the Lego model) that deploys a camera aimed directly at the ladder to record and broadcast the historic "giant leap". No missing pieces, nice gold and silver metallic plastic parts, and stickers that are shiny enough to reasonable simulate the gold "foil" on the lander. Looks good on any bookcase. Read more

Very nice set from Lego. High quality as usual from Lego brand. Read more

Fast delivery, good condition. Fun to build. Read more

I have been a Lego Maniac nearly my entire life. Even though I'm in my mid-30s, I still get giddy about buying a new Lego set, but I can't help but feel a little kidish when I get a set with an age range of 8-12 years. Well, when I decided to get a new set, I wanted to challenge myself a little more (as well as spend a little more money). This was the set I settled on partly because I was a big fan of space exploration as a kid, and my Dad works for NASA. This had my name all over it. I was very happy when it arrived. The box was satisfyingly large (if you know what I mean). I thought that the instructions might be a little more complex since this is a more expert level set, but actually, the instructions were clear and very easy to follow (even easier than some other sets I've bought!). The finished product is simply amazing! The detail inside and out is incredible! I currently have it proudly displayed on my dresser. One note about something that I didn't realize is that the lander does not actually attach to the moon surface base. There are four holes in which the landing struts rest, but if I were to pick it up too quickly and without enough care, the lander could go flying off the base. This is certainly not a reason for passing up on this set though! Read more

Growing up in Huntsville, AL in the 60's, I was pretty immersed in the race to the moon. Our school desks would rumble as NASA tested the Saturn boosters. My wife bought this for me for Christmas, my first Lego as an adult. My impressions: - The booklet is great with information about the program and the lunar module. However, for ease, I used the iPad app for the assembly. - The pieces are arranged in numbered bags, some with multiple bags having the same number and there are smaller bags inside the larger bags. While the sections relate to the numbers, I'm not sure of logic of the other bags as I seemed to pull from various bags while assembling one part. - The detail is amazing but that means lots of small parts which creates a certain anxiety when searching as, rumor has it, Lego misses parts but I actually had extra parts. - Certain parts attach with single points so they can be knocked off, the accent stage connection to the descent stage is pretty flimsy. The legs are pliable but that seems accurate to the original. Overall, I very happy with the model but I don't have any reference to other Lego models. I think this would be a great model for a teen who is interested in learning more about the moon landing. Read more

This is a set that's great for kids or adults, since it's a combination of fun to build, not overly large but not small either, is about historically significant subject matter, has some neat hidden parts inside for playing around with as well as a couple minifigs, and is just aesthetically nice to look at. Pricing is admittedly high, but at this point Lego is pretty much a luxury product anyway, and this is at least more affordable than most sets. As an adult who hadn't touched legos in years, this was just a nice relaxing experience to put together, and it's still something I can display on my desk and not look out of place. Read more

Highly recommended Read more