There are four children in our home ranging in age from 10 to almost 17, three girls and one boy, and all four of them still love to play with Lego bricks. In fact, every year for Christmas, they all ask for a Lego set so that at some point during the day they can build the sets together. It is a tradition we have all grown to love on Christmas day. And the great thing about Lego is that you can find a set for anyone. Harry Potter fans, Marvel Universe lovers, people who love to travel and so much more.
The Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions and Lunar Space Station Lego sets were a great fit for our 10-year-old son and very enjoyable for him to build. Once he started, he stayed put until they were complete. The Lego Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions retails for $39.99. It is a smaller set with just 298 pieces for ages 6 and up. Even though it is a smaller set, it has a unique feature making it worth the money spent. You complete missions online as you build and once one mission is complete, you move on to the next and build some more. This online building feature makes the experience of building even more exciting. I think the $39.99 price point would feel like a little too much for the set had it not come with this interactive feature.
Credit: Jennifer Thompson / Mashable
Credit: Jennifer Thompson / Mashable
We tested the Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions set because it appeared on multiple lists of 2022’s best toys, and we tried out the Lunar Space Station set as well because both are part of Lego City, which means they are designed to be built together for extended play.
A 10-year-old’s thoughts on the Lego sets
When I asked my son his thoughts about the Mars Spacecraft set, he responded, “I like the Lego set because it uses an app and not instructions and it lets you build your own stuff for each mission. There’s nothing I don’t like about it.”
The Lego Lunar Space Station is a slightly bigger set with 500 pieces for ages 6 and up that retails for $79.90. While this set was very engaging and kept my son entertained during the building process, it does seem to be priced a bit high, which can be the downside of Lego bricks. On the plus side, my son does play with his Lego sets after they are built, and because of this we are able to justify spending a bit more money because they won’t just go onto a shelf to collect dust.
Credit: Jennifer Thompson / Mashable
Sorry, Lord Business, no Kragle here
My son and his friends also love to use their imaginations to build things other than the creations outlined in the instructions. This is great because if a set is destroyed and not rebuilt, those bricks go into a bin for imaginative building, which is another reason we can justify spending a bit more for this toy. Lord Business from The Lego Movie would most definitely frown at the happenings in our home. There is no Kragle here.
When I asked my son about the Lunar set, he said, “I think it’s cool how the characters have a bunch of details. I like how the set was made. It was made very well with the interior and how the glass can open and close, etc. There is nothing I don’t like. I like everything about it.”
Are the Lego City space sets worth it?
From young children to adults, Lego sets really are great for all ages. Not only are they fun, but they also have educational value as your children learn to follow instructions, use their fine motor skills, and persevere when they’re frustrated and can’t find that one piece they need before moving on to the next step. And the Mars and Lunar sets in particular have that extra level of play from the interactive instructions and missions.
