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LEGO launches space shuttle Discovery and Hubble Space Telescope set

(LEGO)

(NEXSTAR) – Lego is marking the upcoming 40th anniversary of the space shuttle’s first mission with a collector’s set of the shuttle Discovery and the Hubble Space Telescope.

The set will go on sale April 1, ahead of the April 12 anniversary of the first shuttle mission. While the shuttle was considered the most complex machine ever built at the time of that launch, this Lego set will have 2,354 pieces.


That includes three stands to allow Discovery and Hubble to be displayed separately or together with the shuttle’s robot arm pulling the telescope out of Discovery’s cargo bay.

The set will be available at Lego stores and on lego.com and sell for $199.99.

“Translating this into LEGO was an exciting challenge,” Lego set designer Milan Madge, said in a statement. “In the real vehicle, every inch of space is used in ingenious ways. Generally, in a LEGO model we can rely on the size to accommodate the structure that holds the whole set together, but on the Discovery Space Shuttle we needed to create a smooth exterior and an interior capable of holding the payload.”

Some sharp-eyed Lego fans think they’ve spotted an Easter Egg teasing a possible upcoming Lego product in the official video. The Brick Fan thinks the helmet seen in the background may be a new LEGO Star Wars life-size helmet. Watch the clip above and decide for yourself.