When designs began circulating for a build of the Apollo Soyuz Test Project that would accommodate a leftover Apollo CSM from previous builds (much like NASA’s approach 50 years ago), how could we resist? The build would also involve a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft and the docking module used to connect the spacecraft in orbit.<\/p>\n
We selected a design<\/a> by iscatrebor on the Rebrickable site and opted for the period-correct Soyuz 7K-TM as flown by cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov. Also, the use of green plastic was a welcome contrast to the greys of the Apollo model.<\/p>\n Apollo Soyuz Test Project in Lego bricks (pic: Richard Speed) – click to enlarge<\/p>\n Rebrickable (and other similar sites and online groups) are a blissful place for Lego enthusiasts, with designs that showcase what can be done with the plastic bricks. For a nominal fee, you can download a PDF of build instructions that wouldn’t look out of place in a “real” set, and acquire a list of required parts that can be imported into a service such as Bricklink.<\/p>\n The build is a joy to do, made even more enjoyable by the knowledge that there’s nothing like it in the average Lego store. The detail on the Soyuz is impressive, as is the docking mechanism used on the Soviet spacecraft and docking module.<\/p>\n Apollo Soyuz Test Project docking module (pic: Richard Speed) – click to enlarge<\/p>\n The Register asked the designer why he had picked the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP). He told us it had begun with a bit of frustration that Lego had only created the Lunar Module but not the CSM. There were already designs floating around, but he reckoned he could do better. A few iterations (and partnerships with other Lego luminaries, such as Owen Hempel and Joe Domb) later, and an Apollo CSM design, replete with cabin interior, was produced.<\/p>\n “I think it was Adam Wilde who said ‘OK for lunar missions but what about ASTP?'” the designer, who goes by the handle iscatrebor, said. “And that was enough to push my buttons – I thought I’d ‘done Apollo’ with my CSM (and lunar rover) but couldn’t leave it there knowing there was more to do.”<\/p>\n “There didn’t seem much point doing only the ASTP CSM, so docking module and Soyuz it had to be!”<\/p>\n The designer is keen to give Wilde a hat tip for both the “huge amount” he knows about Apollo and his suggestions for developing the ASTP design.<\/p>\n We had a blast building the design, although it was a shame that the same level of detail found in the Apollo Command Module interior was not present on the Soyuz. The designer explained that “the need to provide internal support meant the Soyuz could not have a detailed interior.”<\/p>\n It’s fair enough. There is only so far a design can go with standard bricks, while still keeping things both buildable and not so fragile that a misplaced sneeze could destroy it.<\/p>\n The quality of the design (if not the quality of all the bricks we used, having raided the household Big Box Of Lego) is undeniable. Perhaps Lego might be interested?<\/p>\n Or perhaps not.<\/p>\n The designer understands that Lego is not accepting any “Apollo-themed” designs (also known as My Own Creations, or MOCs), but then again, the Lego Ideas approach has other limitations. “I find it incredible,” he said, “that when submitting an MOC to Lego Ideas, you have to agree that the plans cannot be marketed for three years on MOCs that Lego reject.<\/p>\n “That seems wholly wrong and not something I would ever want to agree to.<\/p>\n “I could submit the Soyuz-MS to Lego, I suppose, as that is not Apollo-related, but why would I do that? I don’t care about the money; the reward for me is knowing people are building my creations.”<\/p>\n We asked Lego if it was indeed rejecting Apollo-themed designs and will update this article with the company’s response. Its stance regarding a three-year period regardless of the acceptance of a design can be found in its terms of service<\/a>. \u00ae<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Lego bricks are being dusted off for a final time \u2013 at least for the Apollo program…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3844],"tags":[70,413,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-285120","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-space","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114902422269990365","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Apollo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/astp_lego.jpg\" "\\"Apollo")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Apollo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/astp_lego_dock.jpg\" "\\"Apollo")
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