We got our hands on a Deep Space Rocket & Launch Control 60228. This is one of the reasons Lego is our top pick a Christmas gift this year. It is an item that often sits in our top 5. Why Lego is our top pick? Well with everyone being locked in the homes for most of the year we are often stuck in video games or tv in general. And while that’s fun it can become a very isolating activity. Well, that is what my wife and I discovered. And so, we decided to pull the kids out and get on with a family orientated activity that all could join in on.
Lego Time
Lego has us all join in and build, the smaller kids help find key pieces need for each building of vehicle and the older one helps with the build. By doing this we indirectly teach the kids problem solving with a team structure. It is parenting 101. Creating a fun environment for education. And Lego is arguably one of the greatest tools ever created to help achieve this manner of education.
This time around we tackled set 60228, which is the Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control. The set is from the CITY series and of course as its name’s sake centred around space travel. This fitted perfectly with my kid’s current obsession which is Space and Planets.
Specifications
Set 60228
Name Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control
Minifigure in Set 6
Pieces 837
Price R 1 999.99
Build
The build took roughly just over two and a half hours and was quite a straightforward build. It had a nice mixture of working parts and standard builds. Again, this suited team building quite effectively. Each person could challenge themselves without having to become frustrated.
The set itself lacked a little detail which makes it feel more like an older set. To a more seasoned collector, this is a positive but to new builders, this can feel like being short-changed.
The set is a combination of multiple subsets. The first of which is the ground transport which is easy and comes with a mechanical arm. This is very much like a people version of the Mars Rover. The next is my favourite, the modular rocket. With its striking colour of orange, white and black it is the centrepiece. Its modular design allows it to break into smaller modules much akin to an actual rocket. This made for some interesting conversations with the kids on how rockets actually work.
It also has a cool feature that allows the cockpit to open its roof and lets us peek inside. The last big piece is the launch pad centre, which also has a nice little feature, struts that fall away as the rocket “launches” However it lacks detail, which to me and my kids was not a big issue as this was a playing piece and not a display piece. The so-called side piece is the rail attachment which is used to bring the astronauts to the rocket.
The Minifigures suit the set perfectly but lack the wow factor and feel a bit dated. I feel a more NASA styled suit for astronauts would be cooler and lab coats for the scientists.
Review
This is one of those sets that would appeal to the broader Lego community as well as more seasoned builders. Minifigures aside the set is a fun build and good bang for the buck. Being an older set, expect to see improved prices for Black Friday. As an actual playset I can confirm its appeal to the younger kids, my daughters loved the build but due to their extremely young age needed lots of assistance, which it’s a bad thing as it encouraged them for seeking assistance. We are now considering its bigger brother the Shuttle as the next potential family build.
Please Keep an eye out for our soon to be launching dedicated LEGO Youtube and Social Channels, where you will get to see the actual build.
