"I bought this set for my 4-year old son. I hesitated a lot before buying it, mainly because of the cost-per-piece factor and the aesthetics. I was trained as an aerospace engineer and at the first look the set didn't resemble the real space shuttle enough. But eventually I made up my mind because my son is so into space shuttle and it would be a good educational tool to teach him the ascending process and mission cycle of the shuttle. It took the 4-year old about five or six hours to build the whole thing, with some occasional help from me. I was delightfully surprised by how good the completed set looks. Everything looks pretty sleek, the shuttle, the main fuel tank, the solid fuel boosters, and even the transporter (although a far cry from the real thing). It immediately became my son's favorite set and he has spent lots of time playing with it.
The price-per-piece is really misleading. This set has so many large custom pieces. The fuel tank alone is made of eight large semi-cylindrical pieces that you probably won't find in any other set. The cockpit, the large wings, etc., are all unique to the shuttle series (it shares the cockpit piece with the smaller utility shuttle, which I also bought). No wonder it appears to be expensive, but I think it's worth of every penny.
The flaw is the weak structure of the fuel tank and boosters. Being long tubular shape, they have to be broken up into three segments each, and the connection can easily become loose and crack open. Although each rocket has a spine of extra long axle to hold all the pieces together, the cracking still happens from time to time. Ironically this is a problem with the real world space shuttle too, infamously the o-ring leakage that led to the Challenger accident... The other issue is the ball-shaped clip that snaps the shuttle to the fuel tank. My son has played with it for less than a week and I already noticed a bent in it. Soon I will need to buy replacement part for it. The shuttle itself, on the other hand, is built quite solid and fun to play with.
Another minor complaint is the proportion is a little bit off. In reality the fuel tank and boosters are much taller than the shuttle. But in this set the boosters are the same height as the shuttle and the fuel tank is just a notch taller. Maybe in the near future I'll buy extra pieces to make them taller myself.
Overall I recommend this set to anybody who is a shuttle fan. My son really loves it and so do I. I hope, or I dream LEGO will make a series for the famous launch vehicles, from Saturn V-Apollo to Falcon 9-Dragon... LEGO, do you hear me? Can you please make it happen, please? :D"
"The Space Centre (3368) from 2011 was absolutely fantastic, I loved it. This one, very disappointed. The value for a start isn't great: £70 for 586 pieces. I know there are a few big pieces but still. The Deep Sea Operations Base is also £70 and has 907 pieces, so obviously that's better value."
Response from LEGO:By Jordan - Core Product Specialist, Core Product Specialist, August 19, 2015
It really is too bad that the price per piece methodology is being used for such a great set and I hope that you still give it a chance. There are many factors that go into the price of a set and you will see that the detail, stability and durability of this set will ease your mind.
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0points
1of2found this review helpful.
Overall:
3/5
SPACEPORT REVIEW
Posted:July 20, 2015
LEGOEXPERTWILL
From: United States
Age: 14-18
Gender: Male
Customer Type: LEGO Fan
Building Experience: Expert LEGO builder
Purchased For: Self
Build Time:
01hrs
Play Experience:
3/5
Value for Money:
1/5
Level of Difficulty:
Average
"The Spaceport is overpriced at 129.99 US dollars with only 586 pieces. The Spaceport features 5 minifigures ( 2 astronauts, 2 construction workers, and a scientist) which are all fairly detailed. there is also a transport buggy that can seat 3 minifigures, a space shuttle that can seat 2 minifigures (astronauts) and opening cargo bay doors that reveals a satellite with a crane arm plus, detachable rocket bosters that are detachable from the space shuttle. the blue mobile launch pad is a good feature too. additionally, there is a countdown display and a satellite.
overall, a three-star set that is way overpriced. the set has a lot to offer, but too little pieces for $120. I would definitely recommend buying if you are a fan of the LEGO theme CITY."
I would recommend this to a friend!
Response from LEGO:By Jordan - Core Product Specialist, Consumer Services, July 23, 2015
That is a really good summary of the product description and I believe this could help others understand what this set offers.
Many adult LEGO fans use a price per piece methodology for determining if a set is a good value for them but this does not take into account the complexity of the elements used and other factors that determine final selling price.
While I am sorry this set was not perfect for you, I hope that you enjoyed the build and hopefully picked up a new building technique or two.
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+1point
1of1found this review helpful.
Overall:
3/5
Not of the quality of previous Space Shuttle
Posted:May 31, 2015
chuck58
From: Clarksville
From: United States
Age: 55-64
Gender: Male
Level of Difficulty:
Easy
"The Lego Space Shuttle from 5 years ago was a very well designed and detailed set. I have it on display. The cargo bay has a satellite that pivots old. It stands about a foot tall. This set looks like a poor attempt to remake the set at a lower cost. For $120 I would pass on this one. It looks like it is worth closer to $69.00"
Response from LEGO:By Jordan - Core Product Specialist, Consumer Services, June 4, 2015
I am sorry this set did not meet your expectations. Since this set just released our designers are eager for feedback and I have already shared this with them.
