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Make Your Own LEGO Curiosity Rover

Posted by timothy on from the snap-together-roll dept.

LinuxOnEveryDesktop writes "Stephen Pakbaz designed a custom Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory Rover set, complete with PDF build instructions and parts lists. There's a dearth of official LEGO sets to do with Curiosity, but if the Cusoo listing gets to 10,000 votes that could change..." I like the idea of LEGO asking for public input, but find it slightly annoying that they require registration to do it; an anonymous "thumbs-up" would be nice.

35 comments

  1. Thumbs Up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...an anonymous "thumbs-up" would be nice.

    Thumbs up, brother!

  2. different length of wire by roman_mir · · Score: 1

    Prof. Farnsworth: Let me show you around. That's my lab table and this is my work-stool. And over there is my intergalactic spaceship! And here's where I keep assorted lengths of wire.

    Fry: Whoa! A real live spaceship!

    Prof. Farnsworth: I designed it myself. Let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I used.

    --
    You can't handle the truth.
    1. Re:different length of wire by nobodie · · Score: 1

      My son, 9 years old and a futurama freak, built his own Curiosity out of his Lego collection (inherited from his sisters and added to over the last few years as well-- two suitcases full of parts and pieces) after watching the landing video and seeing the hoopla at the landing and the photos, he went to his room and returned an hour or so later... well maybe it isn't as perfect as what you get from a clean design, but he had the oven, the robot arm and the wheel layout, pretty awesome.

      (proud poppa thumps chest and strides into the distance)

      --
      Subversion of spatial scale luxury decoration ideas.
  3. Supporter Count by echucker · · Score: 2

    Count is at 2712 ten minutes after this story was posted. Will be interesting to see how much the count goes up after the story is viewed.

    1. Re:Supporter Count by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It'll be kinda difficult being that the site is Slashdotted.

  4. LEGO Death Star CLOCK by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here's another that would look great on any Slash-geek's desk: a LEGO Death Star clock
    I love the lightsaber clock hands!

    http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/16974

    1. Re:LEGO Death Star CLOCK by jbhaskall · · Score: 1

      Here's another that would look great on any Slash-geek's desk: a LEGO Death Star clock I love the lightsaber clock hands!

      http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/16974

      Wow, nice clock! I love it. Hope this gets made into an actual set. Supoorted!

  5. Use your slashdot user name and register by wisebabo · · Score: 1

    Fellow Nerds!

    If you just spend a minute registering, WE CAN GET THIS DONE! I mean how many slashdotters are going to see this article and say: "I want one!"

    I used my slashdot name and password, it was easier that way.

    I wonder if groupon(?) would put together some sort of discount for purchasing these.

    1. Re:Use your slashdot user name and register by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fellow Nerds!

      If you just spend a minute registering, WE CAN GET THIS DONE! I mean how many slashdotters are going to see this article and say: "I want one!"

      I used my slashdot name and password, it was easier that way.

      I wonder if groupon(?) would put together some sort of discount for purchasing these.

      I agree with the idea, but this

      I used my slashdot name and password, it was easier that way.

      will cost you your geek badge.

  6. Too small, not sophisticated enough by Kergan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's actually a tiny rover made with a few dozen pieces, with no built-in engine or the like.

    Please wake me up for something the size of the Millenium Falcon:

    http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Millennium-Falcon-7965

    1. Re:Too small, not sophisticated enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I agree, this one is way better:
      http://hackaday.com/2012/08/06/curiosity-landed-heres-the-lego-version/

    2. Re:Too small, not sophisticated enough by stepho-wrs · · Score: 1

      Two of the designer's aims were 'while remaining at a reasonable size and cost'.

    3. Re:Too small, not sophisticated enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...which is why I'm going over to bricklink or whatever it's called and ordering these parts. My desk needs Curiosity!

    4. Re:Too small, not sophisticated enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's cute and nicely done for that small a scale, but, yes, it's a bit small compared to the official LEGO set for the earlier MER Spirit/Opportunity rovers, and MSL is supposed to be a lot bigger. Obviously it would be too expensive to make an MSL to the same scale (probably thousands of $ :-)), but I wonder what people could come up with in the ~$100 range? I think that's what I paid for the MER LEGO set.

  7. They require registration... by gfxguy · · Score: 4, Informative

    Because they don't want something like this posted on some nerd site only to have a million nerds click "support" when they have no intention of ever buying it (notice you have to say how much you'd pay and how many you'd buy? They're trying to figure out if it's worth it for them to build.).

    The same thing happened to the Winchester Pub from Shaun of the Dead after Simon Pegg plugged it on Conan... and LEGO said they weren't going to make it despite getting 10k votes. Granted, they said because the movie was too violent and didn't fit their core demographics... but they do Lord of the Rings, so they can wantonly apply whatever excuses they want to not make sets - and in this case, I suspect it's because they knew 10k Shaun of the Dead fans weren't going to pay $200 for a LEGO Winchester.

    --
    Stupid sexy Flanders.
    1. Re:They require registration... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not averse to them saying no even if they get the votes (really, it is all about the money). I just don't like the way they claim it's about "violence", when it's clear that other properties that they're happy to sell are just as, if not more, violent (Star Wars, LOTR, and, for cryin' out loud, Batman).

      Things like Shaun of the Dead and Serenity? Sorry, they're not worth the initial investment for LEGO, when those particular franchises were never made to appeal to children. LEGO wants the widest possible audience, not the Vocal Internet Minority crowd.

      However, if they did something like Looney Labs (www.looneylabs.com) did with their Fully Baked Ideas (www.fully-baked-ideas.com) label and sold plans for stuff like those things and said "buy individual pieces to build those things", I can see that. I don't see them wanting to, but they could.

      But LEGO the brand is not in the business of catering to the model-building adult crowd. They're kind of like Nintendo. It's not that they couldn't branch out if they wanted to, but they don't want the broader business model. They like doing what they do well instead of being everything to everyone. They don't any competitors that are forcing them risky into new markets, so they can afford to play it safe.

      And that's perfectly fine. In fact, it's better than fine, it's damned respectable that they don't feel they have to be 'edgy' or 'keep up with the times'.

      But as I said before, I'd prefer they'd be 100% honest on why.

    2. Re:They require registration... by RaceProUK · · Score: 1

      Of course, because one of the most popular and influential pieces of literature ever written (and studied in schools) is the same as a piss-take zombie movie aimed at adults.

      --
      No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun
    3. Re:They require registration... by gfxguy · · Score: 1

      I don't disagree with them about their decisions on LOTR (in fact, as an AFOL, I'd been wanting it for years). I'm only commenting about the hypocrisy of their reasoning and their CUUSOO "initiative."

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
  8. NASA fundraiser by magarity · · Score: 4, Interesting

    NASA is always in budget trouble lately; they ought to more actively seek merchandising partnerships to raise funds.

  9. Making it is easy! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Really, that model is nothing.

    The real trick is to get it to Lego Mars.

    1. Re:Making it is easy! by ae1294 · · Score: 1

      The real trick is to get it to Lego Mars.

      Yes, because it's sold separately..

    2. Re:Making it is easy! by jbhaskall · · Score: 1

      Lego's already been to Mars: http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-mers-04b.html

  10. The Next Step by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Put a selection of Lego cowboys, indians and men at work on top of it in a celebratory organization. Play some appropriate music and bam, you got a rover called BiCuriosity.

  11. Lego has done this before by hackertourist · · Score: 1

    They released two sets in 2003 to tie in with the Spirit and Opportunity missions.

    1. Re:Lego has done this before by someotheridiot · · Score: 1

      Are you referring to this set: http://rebrickable.com/sets/7470-1/space-shuttle-discovery-discovery-2003 I'm not aware of any other official Mars Rovers.

    2. Re:Lego has done this before by hackertourist · · Score: 2

      large rover

      Rover, lancher and orbiter

    3. Re:Lego has done this before by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      Also
      Remote control Sojourner from 1999

  12. welcome to the 1990s, timothy. by Peganthyrus · · Score: 2

    > an anonymous "thumbs-up" would be nice.

    So would vote-stuffing scripts. This is why we can't have nice things.

    --
    egypt urnash minimal art.
  13. Nice, but... by Narrowband · · Score: 1

    Good attempt, but a Mindstorms version would be a lot better. Heck, even a book with plans for a Mindstorms version would be cool.

    1. Re:Nice, but... by someotheridiot · · Score: 1

      I think the smaller and cheaper versions are more likely to get through the Lego Cuusoo criteria. Fewer people would buy a more complicated and expensive Mindstorms one.

  14. Better link by michelcolman · · Score: 1

    The link in the article was slashdotted, but here' a working one on the lego cuusoo site:
    http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/3431

  15. People have been 3d printing models for a week now by mattmarlowe · · Score: 1

    It's nice and all that Lego might be releasing an official design of rover, but models of the curiousity rover for 3d printing have been available for roughly a week now already and are begining to enter 2nd/3rd gen revisions...we just gave one away this morning that we printed last night for a childs birthday party.
    Lego these days is about robotics and First Lego League Competitions....for models, we can print or create our own....same for legos pieces themselves.
    If you can afford to buy your child the occasional lego model and various sets which are very expensive, then you can probably afford a 3d printer which opens up many more possibilities.

    http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27908

  16. Ouch! by someotheridiot · · Score: 1

    Haha, thanks for crashing my website :) As the creator of Rebrickable, it's awesome to be here... I'm stuck at work now with little means to manage the site, but please try again later if its down!