Lego throws its own Hail Mary

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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 LEGO set based on Project Hail Mary includes an 830-piece model of the spacecraft, a minifigure-scale Ryland Grace, and a LEGO version of Rocky. The build avoids stickers by using pre-printed components. The set is labeled 18+ and is described as lengthy but straightforward, typically taking half a day to a full day depending on experience and patience with small parts. The spacecraft is treated as a Technic-style model, with a crank that slides crew modules out and rotates the spacecraft to simulate gravity, and a reverse crank action to return the modules. The design is considered impressive, though a motor could improve rotation smoothness.

Read at theregister