Despite me putting this out right after Lego announced they would be rereleasing the NASA Apollo Saturn V this isn’t something I picked up recently, it’s actually a set I picked up a few years ago when it was originally released.

When I got this set I was still pretty early in my Lego collecting days and at the time I wasn’t that familiar with Lego Ideas, or even that much about the Lego company itself other than the fact that they make toys made out of little plastic bricks. Lego Ideas is basically just a way for Lego fans to submit to Lego new ideas for new sets.

The process for something going from Lego Ideas to a physical product is this:

Phase 1: User Submission – Users must submit a written description of their idea along with a sample Lego model to demonstrate their idea onto a project page where it can be viewable to other users. Once this step is done the project must receive 10,000 votes of support from different users in order to move on to the next phase. Originally, Lego Ideas would leave project pages up on their site for up to two years and then taken down if the project did not receive enough votes, however Lego Ideas eventually changed the vote requirement to include having a minimum number of votes by a certain time or else the project would expire.

When submitting a project there are several limitations that one must be aware one. The first is that projects re limited to 3000 pieces maximum. Another limitation is that the project must be able to be constructed using existing Lego pieces-projects that require new part molds are not allowed.

Lego also has several limitations on the subject matter of projects that are submitted. Ideas based on intellectual properties owned by competing companies are prohibited as well as any projects based on third-party licenses already produced by Lego (this I’m a bit surprised about but I’m assuming the reason why they did this is to promote innovation rather than having people rehashing old ideas). Since Lego likes to picture itself as a family-friendly company projects whose themes relate to alcohol, sex drugs, religious references, post-World War II warfare or any other content that they deem inappropriate for younger Lego fans are also prohibited.

Phase 2: Review – Once a project reaches the minimum 10,000 votes the Lego Group will take a examine the project and determine whether it is worth it to them to actually make it. Not only does the Lego group take a look at the project and ask whether people will buy it or not but they also take a closer look at the feasibility of building it in real life. If the set is based on a specific intellectual property the ability and costs associated with getting the rights to that IP play a big factor in approval or rejection.

Phase 3: Production – The project gets fine-tuned by Lego developers and all set for production. Once the sets are produced they are sold under the “Lego Ideas” banner and the people who came up with the idea are given ten copies of the final set, their name and bio, in the materials enclosed with their set, and a 1% royalty of their set’s net sales.

As the writing of this post Lego has announced 41 sets based on ideas submitted to Lego ideas with 33 sets so far being produced.

The NASA Apollo Saturn V was submitted by Felix Stiessen and Valerie Roche. Originally released in 2017, due to its popularity this set was rereleased in 2020.

Originally when I decided to get this it wasn’t for myself, but for my dad. My dad is really big into NASA an space travel which is why I really wanted to get it for him. He told me as a child, a toy he really wanted as a kid was this model of the space shuttle launch pad complete with the booster rockets and the fuel tank. Unfortunately, growing up in the Philippines it was something that he wasn’t able to have. When I was a kid he got a Revell model kit of it but while building it he accidentally left it in the rain and it was ruined. Every once in a while when we go to places that sell collectibles or model kits he’ll ask them if they have something like that but he hasn’t been able to find anything that matches exactly what he wants in a model.

I remember the day this came out. I was supposed to go to work, but I sprained my neck and stuck at home. My parents left me home to recover while they went out to do errands. When they came back I dragged myself out of bed to go eat lunch and I was really surprised that they bought the Lego set. I told them they didn’t have to, that I would have bought it for dad, but both my mom and dad were like “we got it for you,”

I tried leaving this for my dad to put together but he kept insisting that I should do it and since I’m not one to pass up an opportunity I decided to document the assembly into another blog.

Here’s the front of the box showing the Saturn V Rocket flying in space. I didn’t realize this until it was pointed out to me online when this set was rereleased but the number of pieces in this set, 1969 is also the same year as the Apollo 11 mission, the first spaceflight to the moon.

Back of the box showing all the details of the Saturn V Rocket. Stiessen and Roche did an amazing job at designing this. It’s not just a tube made out of Legos but it very accurately depicts each phase of the rocket. From its 3 launch stages, to the lunar module, to even the splashdown capsule. With all the detail the put in it’s no surprise that this would become a Lego set. My only question is how come it took Lego so long to put this out?

With only 12 bags and 1969 pieces this doesn’t seem as intimidating as some of the other sets I’ve put together.

The instruction manual. I really like how they designed it to make it look like an aged notebook/Saturn V blueprints. Aside from the instructions and brief bio on the designers there is also some information about the actual Saturn V rocket which came in really handy when it came time for me to figure out what the real names are for some parts of the rocket.

Bag 1

In this bag you’re working on the Saturn V’s first stage/S-IC.

Here’s the first half of the S-IC. I’m trying to figure out what the hell that thing on top is for. I tried googling what it could be but most of my searches came up with nada. Best guess is that it’s part of the fuel system for the thrusters. Although it might just be something that was put in to make building the Saturn V out of Legos possible.

Next you work on the second half of the S-IC.

Based on what I googled on the workings of the Saturn V I’m assuming the top portion is the liquid-oxygen tank while the bottom part is the fuel tank.

Bag 2

For this bag you build the outer panels of the S-IC’s lower half.

First set of panels stamped with USA on them. USA. USA. USA.

Here are those panels put on.

Bag 3

This bag you build more side panels for the S-IC as well as start working on the attachment points for the next section of the rocket.

Here are the panels.

And here’s everything from this bag finished up.

Bag 4

This bag you build the side panels to cover the attachment point for the next section.

You also build those little coil things that go on the side. Based on what I found online I’m guessing they are supposed to be cold helium and electrical umbilical tunnels.

Bag 5

In bag 5 you fill in the empty space at the center of the S-IC as well as other voids along the rocket.

I’m curious why this step is its own separate bag. I really feel this could have been consolidated among some of the other bags.

Bag 6

For Bag 6 you finally move away from building the side panels for the S-IC and work on something else. In this case it’s the thrusters which are Rocketdyne F1 engines.

Here’s what the F1 engines look like. At a glance this might seem like something simple to assemble but this phase actually had a lot of parts to it which is why it’s its own dedicated bag.

For Bag 6 you also put on the tailfins, a very appropriate way to signal the completion of the S-IC stage.

Bag 7

Here you start the second part of the rocket, the S-II. Looking back I’m a bit surprised that half the set is just building the first stage of the rocket. I’m curious if this was done on purpose to emphasize how massive the S-IC stage of the Apollo V is.

Here’s how the S-II looks after completing Bag 7. It’s very reminiscent to the early build stages of the S-IC.

A close up on the end of the S-II. Note the hooks, those are how the next portion, the S-IVB attaches to the S-II.

Bag 8

In Bag 8 you’re working on the area surrounding the attachment points as well as start some work on the exterior panels.

Looking at this part it doesn’t look like much was accomplished in this phase.

Bag 9

Not much going on with this bag, just finishing up putting the exterior panels on the S-II.

If you’re OCD like me you might be annoyed that when you’re finished with this bag you have that ring of gaps towards the top. The reason why that gap is there is because instead of solid pieces you have these vent looking things going there. You might be thinking “why didn’t they just include the vent pieces in Bag 9?” and the reason why is because the vents are actually 6 individual pieces put together and there are 4 of them so I’m guessing rather than throw in another 24 pieces they would just save them for the next step.

Bag 10

This bag you put the finishing touches on the S-II stage of the rocket.

Here’s the top of the S-II. Those hooks are what connect the S-II to the next stage, the S-IVB.

The engines of the S-II. These are actually a different model then the Rocketdyne F1 engines on the S-IC. These engines are Rocketdyne J2s.

Here’s how the rocket looks with the 2 lower sections done. I probably should have put something next to it for a proper scale reference.

Bag 11

For Bag 11 you work on the S-IVB stage.

I was a bit surprised you get the S-IVB done with only one bag considering the S-IC and S-iI was made up of 10 bags worth of parts.

Here’s the J2 engine on the S-IVB.

And here’s the S-IVB connected to the rest of the rocket.

Bag 12

The may be the final bag but it is also the bag where you assemble the most individual components.

Here’s the top portion of the Saturn Rocket which is actually 5 different components: the Instrument Unit, the Spacecraft-Lunar Module Adapter, Apollo Service Module, Command Module and Launch Escape System.

Here it is mounted on the rocket…

And here is the fully completed Saturn V rocket. However, even though the rocket is done there’s still more to it.

After the rocket is done you have to build the Lunar Module complete with some tiny astronauts and a US Flag. If you take the Lunar Module off the base and tuck the legs in you can actually fit it into the Spacecraft-Lunar Module Adapter just like with the real Saturn.

Here’s the command module after a splashdown. The orange ring at the base is a floatation collar. While the ball things on top are balloons which are intended to flip the capsule upright in case it lands upside down or rolls over after hitting the water.

The final steps are assembling the display stands for the Apollo V.

Here’s the rocket broken up into its individual pieces. This is how I saw it on display in Lego stores since it’s too big as a whole piece to fit into any of their display cases.

I didn’t try to enclose it but here is the Lunar Module mounted onto the Lunar Module Adapter. Looking at this now I’m really curious if this thing is accurately scaled.

And I’ll close this out with one final shot of the Apollo V.

Thanks for checking this out and don’t forget to come back for more.