How accurate is the LEGO Technic 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover?

With the launch of LEGO Technic set 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover coming soon, we took a look at how it compares to the original space vehicle.

A listing from JB Spielwaren of LEGO Technic 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover (or Percy, as some would call it) suggested that the potential release date for the set would be May 31, 2023. While we’ve still had no word from the LEGO Group about the set, it’s still a good time to take a look at just how well it matches up to the real thing.

6 – The helicopter

From what we can see at the moment, 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover doesn’t just come with the Rover itself. The NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has also been included as a smaller addition to the set. Given that it was the first aircraft to achieve controlled flight on another planet, it’s definitely a pretty big deal and a worthy addition to the set.

5 – The wheels

Just getting the right number of wheels was obviously not a particularly difficult task in terms of design. However, we do have all six, and what’s really impressive about the details here is that the real-life Mars Perseverance Rover has curved titanium spokes and the cleated wheels for traction, and the new set has managed to portray both in a surprisingly accurate way.

4 – The camera

The camera system on the mast of the actual Mars Perseverance Rover, Mastcam-Z, can take high definition pictures of Mars. And as well as that, the mast also has a SuperCam that is able to accurately identify the chemical composition of soil and different types of rocks that are found on the surface of a planet. While sadly our LEGO set can’t do the same, the round clear piece that represents the camera looks perfect. And they’ve even managed to get the detail of the little navigation cameras on the sides too.

3 – Suspension

LEGO Technic vehicles can, in a way, do more than the regular LEGO build, mostly because the rods and connector pieces allow for vehicle builds to be created in a more realistic way. With LEGO Technic set 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover, we can see that the suspension parts recreate the original space vehicle pretty well, and we know that the set will likely link to the LEGO Technic AR app. While that link still isn’t clear, hopefully we’ll find out more very soon.

2 – The power source

On the real Mars Perseverance Rover, there’s a multi-mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (which honestly sounds more complicated than it seems) which essentially gives the rover the electrical power that it needs to move. The gold wires on the generator have been recreated in LEGO Technic form, which is a small but impressive detail to have on there, and goes well with the rest of the colour scheme.

1 – UHF antenna

The all important Ultra-High Frequency Antenna on the Mars Perseverance Rover is what allows the vehicle to transmit the data it gets back to us on Earth, and no LEGO representation of a Mars Rover could really be complete without it. LEGO Technic set 42158 NASA Mars Perseverance Rover has exactly that, and the shape of the black Technic piece couldn’t be a better fit.

Again, we haven’t had official confirmation about 42158 NASA Mars Rover Perseverance from the LEGO Group, so take the news with just a little bit of caution. However, the space set is likely to be out on May 31, so keep your eyes open for that.

Featured image: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

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