Review: LEGO NASA Mars Rover Perseverance

After more than two years, another interesting NASA-inspired Lego model was released: the Lego NASA Mars Rover Perseverance.

I was very interested in this model because I followed the Perseverance mission quite regularly after it landed on Mars at the beginning of 2021.

NASA Mars Rover Perseverance

The NASA Mars Rover Perseverance from the Lego Technic series was released in August 2023. It was created in cooperation with NASA, just like the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander, Saturn V and Space Shuttle Discovery, for example.

The model contains 1,132 pieces, roughly the same number as the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander. The type of pieces is quite different, however, as this is a Lego Technic model. It is probably most similar to the Lego International Space Station.

The recommended age of just 10+ is interesting, considerably lower than the 16+ and 18+ recommendations of my other NASA models. The official price in the Lego shop is €94.99.

Instructions and building

The instructions are not particularly extensive, at around 260 pages. Unlike the other Lego models mentioned, they contain no information about the Perseverance NASA mission or the creation of the model.

Building the model takes some time. Building with Lego Technic is a little different from building a classic Lego model. I really enjoyed how everything in each section eventually fitted together perfectly.

Model description

The Lego NASA Mars Rover Perseverance is essentially two models: the Mars Rover Perseverance itself and the Ingenuity helicopter.

Ingenuity is a very small model made from just a few pieces, but it looks quite accurate.

The Mars Rover Perseverance itself looks very similar to its real-world counterpart, and the model succeeds very well in that respect.

Thanks to the use of Lego Technic, the model is interactive. There is a control on the top for the chassis, allowing you to move it sideways and stop its movement.

The rear of the model contains controls for the robotic arm.

The robotic arm can be controlled vertically and partially horizontally.

The model’s chassis is flexible and can handle crossing various obstacles.

Even so, the chassis is not perfect. Steering the wheels is somewhat difficult, and they do not always go completely straight.

AR app

The model can be used with the Lego Technic AR app, but I found it quite disappointing.

The app can put the rover’s size into perspective

or display information about some of its systems.

But that is all; it offers nothing more interactive.

Rating

The Lego NASA Mars Rover Perseverance is, in my opinion, a very good model that definitely belongs in a Lego NASA collection.

Despite the weaker chassis and unnecessary AR app, it is an interesting and fun model with interactive elements.