I have wanted to do a Lego project for awhile. The large Saturn 5 rocket kit holds a lot of appeal to me. At almost 2000 pieces, it is probably not the best choice for someone who has not built Lego since the late 60’s. I will also need to homestead a larger table in the common area of the shop for a few days. I have no idea how long this kit would take.
I have to admit that I chose this kit for the duck. It is also inexpensive, low piece count and looks pretty simple ( Ages 7 & up). I think this is my first Lego kit because I can remember having a large number of blocks but never any specific item to build or instructions.
This kit contained 3 bags of parts. I figured the large bag was the human figure. I gave that bag a rough sort and a sloppy knolling to get started. The second part I needed was not there, it was in another bag. Lego is legendary for their accuracy and attention to detail so I am sure there is some logic to the different bags but I don’t know it.
I began to knoll the parts by sorting them by color. As I looked through the instructions I found a chart with each piece shown and the quantity provided. The chart has 9 columns but not every column has the same number of rows.
OCD Triggered.
If I cannot *fix* the chart then I am going to *match* the chart.
A quick sketch with a pencil and a ruler got me 9 columns. Using a caliper I divided the number of rows into the height and marked out the individual column dividers.
The next step was easy and enjoyable , if you have the kind of peculiar that I do. I did deviate from the plan a bit by putting the entire quantity together in each grid cell. This let me check the quantity and would make the build go a bit quicker.
Getting into the actual assembly took me a minute. I went slow to see how the instructions were organized as I have never used them before and have had some experiences with IKEA style diagrams that I would like to forget. These are nice, each step has a required parts list and diagram to follow. The only complaint I have is the inaccurate color depictions in the instructions. The difference between light grey and dark grey, or between aqua, light blue and teal is difficult to determine. I did have to rebuild a few steps once I realized this.
The overall build was enjoyable and took a few hours including making the layout chart, knolling, breaks and taking a lot of photos. I was surprised to have some “extra parts” but I am certain they were not part of the build but for customizing the sword gems to your liking. They were all that same 1×1 flat style in various colors.
I am confident that I can tackle a more advanced kit, but it won’t be the Saturn 5 just yet. The Formula One themed kits look like a nice next step.