I bet astrophiles never dreamed that one day they could piece together the Milky Way with their hands, but here we are, looking at the new LEGO Art set that lets astronomy geeks and space nerds do exactly that. Folks, meet the new LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) set.
Using a dizzying 3,091 pieces, the LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) set lets you recreate the majestic wonder the galaxy has to offer as an awe-inspiring piece of art.
But make no mistake. This is no LEGO Dots. These are the good old LEGO elements, which means you are getting a 3D Milky Way with incredible depth and texture, allowing you to explore some of the spiral galaxy’s most famous stars, clusters, and other spectacles, including Trappist-1, The Pleiades, The Crab Nebula, and The Pillars of Creation.
Granted, using 3,000-plus pieces of LEGO bricks would not be enough to accurately replicate the hundreds of billions of stars, gas, and dust that make up the Milky Way, but it does provide a pretty cool low-res representation.
Even the brick-built The Pillars of Creation—which was significantly more detailed (and not for sale, by the way), created based on images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, was considered super low-res. Nevertheless, both the LEGO The Pillars of Creation sculpture and the LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) set managed to recreate the magnificent wonder of space.
The LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) Set is divided into 5 panels, each with its building instructions booklet, allowing friends and family to create this astronomical build together.
Furthermore, you can scan a QR code found in the building instructions booklets to learn more about the Milky Way through the set’s specially curated podcast featuring Jack Gardner Vaa (the LEGO Group host), Camille Bergin (Aerospace Engineer turned Science Communicator AKA Galactic Gal), Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Chancellor of the University of Leicester and one of the most prominent science educators of our time), and Adam Vaughan (the LEGO Group Designer).
When completed, the large Milky Way Galaxy piece of wall art measuring 40 cm tall, 5 cm deep, and stretching 65 cm long (about 15.7 x 2 x 25.6 inches) can be displayed using the included hanger elements.
Not going to lie, I’ve never gotten this excited about a brick-built galaxy, well, that is until I saw the price. It’s US$199.99. It is certainly not cheap for me. But to be fair, 6 cents a piece is considered a good price for LEGO. The LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy (31212) Set is slated to drop on May 18, 2024. Recommended for ages 18 and up.
Images: LEGO.
