LEGO has just announced the final design of the fan-voted 21321 IDEAS International Space Station. Catered for adult LEGO fans as a display piece with authentic ISS details including rotating joints and adjustable solar panels, the main build is accompanied by a buildable mini NASA space shuttle and cargo spacecraft. The 864-piece set will be available in LEGO stores and online on February 1st, 2020 retailing at US $69.99 | CAN $99.99 | UK £64.99. We’ve already got our hands on an early copy, so be sure to check out our review: 21321 LEGO Ideas International Space Station Review.
The set measures over 7” (20cm) high, 12” (31cm) long and 19” (49cm) wide and comes with a display stand and a 148-page booklet filled with facts and information on the build and details from fan-designer Christoph Ruge, who designed and submitted the proposal for approval on the Ideas platform.
LEGO’s selection of this particular Ideas set and how it made it to retail shelves is unique since it was a final decision made by fans directly, as opposed to all the previous LEGO Ideas submissions where fans only had the option to influence LEGO’s consideration of a set through hitting a minimum support of 10,000 votes. The winning models would then be subsequently decided by LEGO team internally. The LEGO Ideas International Space Station, however, has taken a journey worthy of a celebration.
First submitted by Christoph back in October 2017, it achieved the 10,000 votes needed for the next phase by June 2018. It was announced in February 2019 that it did not make the final consideration from LEGO. But then it was re-introduced in May 2018 for a special review process as part of the 10th-anniversary contest competing against three other models. The contest finished in June 2018 with the ISS coming out as the fan favourite.
The ISS is a functional laboratory where crew members perform experiments in microgravity in many fields including biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and other fields. The space station makes over 15.54 orbits in a day travelling at 7.66 kilometres per second (27,600 km/h; 17,100 mph). To date, it has been in orbit for 21 years and it’s been occupied by astronauts, cosmonauts and visited by space tourists for the past 20 years.
The LEGO version of the ISS is accompanied with 2 microscaled astronaut figures and is packed with the design elements of the actual ISS.
The LEGO International Space Station serves as excellent inspiration for younger audiences to be exposed to a unique field of exploration, research, education, and space discovery.
For more details and insights of the actual build process and experience, be sure to read our review here: 21321 LEGO Ideas International Space Station Review
The complete press release and expanded image gallery from LEGO are included below.
STEP INTO YOUR ASTRONAUT BOOTS WITH THE NEW LEGO® IDEAS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
The LEGO Group has announced the new LEGO Ideas International Space Station, packed with authentic details as part of its 10-year celebration of the LEGO Ideas programme
[21st January 2020] Realise your own dreams of becoming an astronaut with the new LEGO Ideas International Space Station, available to buy from LEGO stores and online at LEGO.com from February 1st.
Based on a concept from a LEGO fan, the new model contains 864 pieces, including the iconic space station itself and a LEGO brick-built NASA space shuttle with three mini cargo spacecrafts and two astronaut microfigures, making this a must-have for space enthusiasts and adult LEGO fans alike.
The realistic set features a posable Canadarm2 and two rotating joints that coincide with eight adjustable solar panels, to replicate the out-of-this-world complexity of the real space station that orbits the Earth sixteen times a day!
In addition, a display stand means that builders can proudly display it in any room once complete and celebrate the achievements of the five international space agencies that brought the incredible real-life ISS to life and have enabled humans to live in space for 20 years.
Measuring over 7” (20cm) high, 12” (31cm) long and 19” (49cm) wide, the LEGO Ideas International Space Station makes an eye-catching display model that will perfectly compliment any LEGO brick space collection.
The set comes complete with a 148-page illustrated instruction booklet, packed with interesting facts and information about the International Space Station itself and the LEGO fan who created the original design for the set.
LEGO fan Christoph Ruge submitted the original design for the LEGO Ideas International Space Station set after submitting other various space model entries via the LEGO Ideas platform.
LEGO Ideas offers fans the opportunity to submit their own brick creations with the chance to have their concept brought to life with the help of LEGO master designers and a share of the profits.
After three years, Christoph’s design was selected through the special review to celebrate the 10th anniversary year of the LEGO Ideas programme that has seen amazing sets come to fans including The Flintstones, Steamboat Willie and Friends Central Perk in the last year alone.
Hasan Jensen, Engagement Manager at The LEGO Group, said: “To celebrate 10 years of crowdsourcing and collaboration between LEGO Ideas (called LEGO CUUSOO until 2014) and LEGO fans around the world, we decided to dive into the archives of LEGO Ideas projects that had gathered 10,000 supporters but hadn’t quite made it into production.
“We decided that one of these great ideas should have a second chance, so we thought we would turn the LEGO Ideas process upside down. This time we started the internal review and came up with four exciting projects that we thought showed the greatest potential – and then it was up to the LEGO Ideas community to decide which of the four would be made into LEGO Ideas set number 29. It was great fun to follow the fan vote and we were excited to be able to finally welcome the International Space Station into the LEGO Ideas family.”
21321 LEGO Ideas International Space Station will be available directly via LEGO.com and LEGO Stores from February 1st 2020.
I’m in line.