Unbox Build: LEGO® Creator Shuttle Expedition!

LEGO® has been at the forefront in building realistic sets that actually existed. From buildings to vehicles the pioneer construction brand toys has them. They also produce the same theme but much improved build that was not included in the previous release. For those who dreams of traveling in space LEGO® have the Shuttle Expedition 10231!

The Space Shuttle is an interesting piece of technology known as the Space Transportation System (STS), which was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for development.

It’s actually composed of three parts that made Space Shuttle an interesting vehicle. The main part is the Orbiter Vehicle (OV), pair of a pair of recoverable solid rocket boosters (SRBs), and the expendable external tank (ET) containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The orbiter is launched vertically, like a conventional rocket, with the two SRBs operating in parallel with the OV's three main engines, which were fueled from the ET.

The first orbiter, Enterprise, was built purely for Approach and Landing Tests and had no orbital capability. During the press media day they invited the original cast of Star Trek, as special guests to unveil the Shuttle. It was named after the famous starship that Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock have commanded in the TV series.

But the Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-101) was never used for space missions and after the unveiling it was store at the Smithsonian’s hangar at Washington Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the newly built Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it was the centerpiece of the space collection. But the Shuttle as a whole had made a milestone and was in service from 1981 to 2011.

There’s a total of five shuttles where made by NASA that includes the Enterprise, which never was made for space mission. The other shuttles are Atlantis, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, and Endeavour. The only surviving shuttles now retired are Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis while the other two (Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003) where destroyed in tragedy.

LEGO® produced the Space Shuttle Expedition 10231 set in 2011 to pay tribute to the last space mission. This is actually a popular set considered hard to find as one of those vehicles that actually existed and made an impact to space travel.







Shuttle Expedition 10231

The set has 1230 pieces for ages 14 and up that includes three minifigures (two astronauts and one service crew member). This was not the first time LEGO® produced a space shuttle there was also a set that was released in 2010 with designated number 10213, which was originally target to a much older age group. But due to that the space shuttle is an iconic vehicle LEGO® released the Shuttle Expedition.

It was retailed in the US for $99.99 dollars, while in the UK it was priced at $159.99 dollars. Pinoy LEGO® User Group member Lao and his son put together the Shuttle Expedition in this time lapse video on July 3, 2012.



For more details the description can be read in the press release below:

10231 Shuttle Expedition may look similar to Shuttle Adventure in many ways; however its build is very different and offers several advantages.

• The fuel tank has been reinforced with supports to strengthen the assembly!
• The landing gear is strengthened to function better across many different floor types
• The Cargo doors can now be more rigorously opened and closed
• The entire build has been reworked to limit opportunities for misplacing elements
• Astronauts now have wigs in addition to their helmets (1 male, 1 female). Face prints are also different.
The new set now has 1,230 elements
• New Satellite can be securely positioned on the new mechanical arm
• 10231 Shuttle Expedition has already gone on sale in LEGOLAND Billund and nolonger available in retail stores but there's a possibility that its stillsold in LEGO.com.

Brick Build

Fellow PinoyLUG member Lao builds the set in this time lapse video and if you’ve noticed the set has a lot of bags to go through and a lot of color organizing before you start putting this together as you’ll see below:



You start with the Shuttle and then go through building the other rocket fuels that would be attached to the orbiter. The video is just short due to the time lapse format but if you happen to own one of these surely it will take some time putting this together.