Review: 10029 Lunar Lander

[Holodoc]

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed!"

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, I thought it was time to make a review of this fantastic set.

Set #: 10029

Theme: Discovery

Release Date: 2003

Pieces: 467

Minifigs: 2

Price: $40, sold in North America only (?)

Now available for 80 - 180 $ (Bricklink)

Peeron

Brickset

Bricklink

Here we go:

The package:

and it's backprints:

The front was quite boring, but the backprints are really nice! It shows the set as well as the original photos! Let's have a closer look at that:

The landing module ("Eagle") and it's location inside the Saturn V rocket.

So this is how the landing gear works.

This is what contains the box:

A lot old gray and old dark gray parts, combined with tan and a few white bricks.

Random shot of the instructions:

No piece call outs? Well, that was 2003.

Look who we found to help us build this set:

Let's go. First we're going to build the lower part of the module.

Careful now:

Now the landing gear:

Looking good, but isn't there something missing?

This is modular building:

The two antennae:

Last preparations before we put this together:

If only we had a crane :

Finsihed! One shot for the family album. Everybody smile, please!

The big after work-party (if NASA knew that).

Enough for now - we've got to go home.

Unusual/nice parts to this set:

Two octagonal windscreens in old gray (exclusive), two 4x6 bricks, 1 old gray, 1 old dark gray, 2 chrome silver tile 1x2 grille and 4 Wedges (Plate 6 x 6 Cut Corner)

in tan (exclusive), I forgot to take a photo of.

The use of stickers (almost acceptable , actually one of the smallest I've seen ):

So this is it:

Compared to the original thing:

The fun to build history with you own bricks:

"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind!" (OK, I know it was Neil Armstrong's phrase and this is Buzz Aldrin getting out on the moon. )

Sidenote: Did you actually know what Charles Conrad (commander of Apollo 12) said, when he first stepped on the moon?

"Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me."

That's pretty funny!

CONCLUSION

Price: 6/10. What counts for all sets not being officially available any more counts for this set as well. You pay double to five times the price. For the parts itself it's way to much, but taking into consideration that this is "the" Eagle, well - it was worth it for me as I love historic icons.

Parts: 7/10 Oldgray octagonal canopy, white backpacks and NASA-torsi only available in this set. Brick 4x6 far more common than I thought. (My first bricks of that kind). It's old dark gray and old gray, btw. Too bad there was no crater plate coming with it.

Minifigures: 9/10 Two astronauts, exclusive to this set: Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin (don't ask me who is who ) . It's just two, but more wouldn't have been historically accurate. Michael Collins stayed in the Columbia, the command module, "travelling" in the lunar orbit.

Build: 7/10 Nothing really special, no repetitive build, nothing too complicated. Some technic elements to make the gear working. A few basic SNOT techniques. Can be build by a 6 year old.

Playability: 9/10 Limited swoosh-factor, but still a great set to play with. Working landing gear. You can lift off the upper part of the landing module. It's minifig size and you can pose the figs like the real happenings (see above).

Overall: 8/10 This is one of the sets, you'll have to be interested in. I can imagine that there are a lot people out here who will say "Naa, nothing special", but as I mentioned some times before, if you're interested in mankinds history, this is one iconic moment you can build and play yourself.

[CP5670]

Something is wrong with the text in your review. There are a bunch of unreadable characters for me.

This looks like a great set in any case, and is very true to the real thing. This Discovery theme was excellent and it's a pity that it only lasted for one year. I have most of the other sets from the theme, but somehow I never got this one. Now I'm starting to regret it.

[Brickus]

Looks like a cool set, alas I did not get it.

[Holodoc]

Something is wrong with the text in your review. There are a bunch of unreadable characters for me.

What the $%&§ ???

Text fixed.

[YG-49]

This is an awesome set. Did it come with the baseplate or did you add it?

[WhiteFang]

Doc, that is a very good review, getting the involvement of the Classic Spacemen, together to build this spectulatar historic sight. Was this review done with the celebration of Moon Day?

I like it, and by the way this was the first time, I knew about this set, honestly.

Thanks for sharing!

[keetong]

Great review whitefang. I actualy think this looks like a great set to buy and the minifigs are awesome.

[WhiteFang]

Great review whitefang. I actualy think this looks like a great set to buy and the minifigs are awesome.

Err, you might want to re-check the author again, it is done by Holodoc.

[Captain Green Hair]

Very good review, i like the shots with the minifigs building a lot!

I remember this set being in stores, never picked it up though.

The design is great, and fortunatly it doesn't come with lots of big parts like most sets in those years.

I'd rate it 8/10.

[CopMike]

Nice review there Doc ! Always fun to see the Space Dudes in action.

It´s a nice set (had to go order it of course now - I´ll bill you for it ), beats the crap out of the old similar theme based one:

I´d like to see some more old school real space sets made ! Now I´ll just sit and wait for the postman.

CopMike

[Holodoc]

This is an awesome set. Did it come with the baseplate or did you add it?

I know this was a lot of text and photos, but:

Too bad there was no crater plate coming with it.

...does that answer your question?

beats the crap out of the old similar theme based one:

Yes, 367 is soooo .

A BLUE landing module???

And there were NEVER three astronauts on the moon simultaneously.

[jonwil]

When my Bricklink order (with my 2 Apollo Astronaut figs in it) arrives, I intend to build a Lunar Landing diorama (no Lunar Module as I havent gotten all the parts, notably I havent found a source for the tan hinges yet) with a Lunar Rover, US flag, science gear and other stuff from the moon landings. Maybe even a golf club.

[Ralph_S]

I know this was a lot of text and photos, but:

...does that answer your question?

Yes, 367 is soooo .

A BLUE landing module???

And there were NEVER three astronauts on the moon simultaneously.

I agree it isn't brilliant, but you should realise that Lego didn't yet have grey bricks when that set was developed.

I think the whole Discovery range of sets was very good, with the Lunar lander probably being the best in terms of accuracy and playability. It was available outside of the US through shop@home. I don't remember exactly how much I paid for it, but I bought one for half price from shop@home a few years ago during a sale and I recently bought a 2nd hand one in excellent condition for £30.

Cheers,

Ralph

[Holodoc]

I agree it isn't brilliant, but you should realise that Lego didn't yet have grey bricks when that set was developed.

I know that, but that would rather be the reason not to release an official set than doing it with he wrong colours.

Good to see TLC never produced a lime Death Star for example before they had gray and dark gray bricks.

[dunamis]

Great review! I had no idea this set even existed.