Category: LEGO NASA

  • Ulysses Space Probe Sold Out In Five Minutes

    Ulysses Space Probe Sold Out In Five Minutes

    Did you get one? I’m guessing the majority of you reading this did not which is really unfortunate.

    I managed to score one and I feel extremely lucky that I did. Logging on to the VIP Rewards site this morning at 6am local time, I was met with with a maintenance type of message that lasted about 18-20 minutes for no apparent reason whatsoever. Finally, once the page started working again and after redeeming my points for a code, the next challenge was trying to check out. At the last step when you see the animated minifig heads to confirm your order, the page errored out and the cart was cleared. This happened three times! On the fourth try, it wouldn’t even take my redemption code anymore. It was a bit maddening since I never got a “thank you for your order” screen but did get an order confirmation email a few minutes later.

    I called LEGO a little later in the day and asked the customer service rep a few questions. She said they’ve gotten a lot of phone calls regarding the promotion. I asked if they planned on making more, and she said that the call center was giving that feedback to… somebody. Maybe the promotions team? I don’t know but it sounds like there were a lot of people who called to ask the same thing. I asked how many they made and she didn’t know but guessed a couple of thousand. I’d guess it was way lower than that, maybe less than 1k. I asked if they give out more codes than were available, and she said that as long as you get a code, you’re locked in for one. That was probably the only reassuring part of this whole ordeal ’cause it would suck to get a code and then not be able to use it.

    Now all that being said, the fault in all this lies purely with LEGO for A) having a site that can’t handle a surge in traffic and B) not producing enough Probe sets. The first issue is well-known and never seems to get better during big releases or sale events. Their “queue” page doesn’t seem to work at all and you’re just better off refreshing the page until you get in. In this day and age, it’s surprising that a multimillion dollar company with an incredible 2020 financial report can’t invest more in their internet infrastructure. Ordering something off a website should be easiest thing, but stuff like this keeps happening. The second issue is where it gets kind of interesting.

    Clearly they didn’t make enough but could they have done things differently to remedy the lopsided supply vs. demand? Definitely. If I load a Colosseum set in my cart, I can STILL get 5006293 The Chariot set as a bonus. The Chariot is only available with the purchase of a Colosseum set which makes me believe that they either made way too many Chariots or the Colosseum is the worst selling product of all time. For argument’s sake, let’s stick with the former. They could have made the Ulysses Space Probe set a GWP that is only valid with the purchase of the Discovery Shuttle set. And to be honest, everything about it smells like it was originally intended to be just that. And if it was, why was it converted to a VIP rewards set? My guess is supply and/or logistics. Perhaps not enough were made and so they thought using VIP Rewards as the distribution method would lower the demand from people who didn’t have enough points or didn’t even have a VIP membership. Either way, they did not make enough and this might be due to supply chain issues.

    That Limited Edition LEGO Porsche Owners’ Pack was a victim to that. The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have been backed up with shipments from overseas for months now. And I honestly don’t know if that Pack was ever released in North America. Sadly, if you wanted one of those or the Space Probe, you’ll need to head to eBay and the like to secure one. And prices are NOT pretty. Here’s just a sampling of eBay listings for the Space Probe:

    Screenshot taken at approximately 4:30pm Pacific Time April 14, 2021.

    See? Not pretty.

    I would not encourage feeding the scalpers. Instead, I would encourage anyone who missed out on the Probe who really wants one to call LEGO Shop@Home and voice your concern in a calm and polite manner. It’s happened before, where a second run of a product made a reappearance on VIP Rewards (I think the Han Solo in Carbonite Keychain was one). But you know, if you want to call them and voice your concern in an angry manner, you’d be totally justified. I was very lucky, and I feel bad for those who wanted one and couldn’t get one. Promotions should last more than just five minutes.

     

  • Double VIP Points Right Now, Ulysses Space Probe Available Tomorrow 4/14

    Double VIP Points Right Now, Ulysses Space Probe Available Tomorrow 4/14

    A couple of LEGO Shop@Home updates from your favorite affiliate website, us!

    First up is that this week kicks off with Double VIP Points. Did you just place an order last week? Well, maybe if you call and ask nicely you can get some points added to your account, Nick. Double VIP Points started yesterday, or was it Sunday, I can’t remember but it goes through until 4/20.

    What should you get during the promotion? Anything you’ve been holding off on. I know one thing I’m going to try and get is 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery.

    Which brings us to the other half of this post, but that Space Probe was the primary reason I didn’t buy the Shuttle on Day 1. Because of some mix up, I assume supply chain issues, the release was delayed. But I got an email from LEGO today saying that it will be available for point redemption starting tomorrow April 14 at 9am Eastern Time. You’ll need to visit this page, redeem 1,800 VIP points, get your coupon code, and then apply said coupon code at the “view bag” checkout page BEFORE the payment page. You should see something like this:

    Don’t enter your code on the payment screen. That field is for the discount codes you redeem your points for. Yes, the LEGO VIP checkout process is still stupid. At least the Space Probe reward is nice.

    Affiliate Disclosure

    FBTB is an affiliate of LEGO.com. If you click through the links in this post and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. As always, we thank you for your continued support.

  • That Awesome Space Shuttle Discovery Set Is Now Available

    That Awesome Space Shuttle Discovery Set Is Now Available

    Update: 4/1: I called Shop@Home and they said it’s been indefinitely delayed and could share no other details. I guess I’m waiting then.

    Update 10:20pm PST: The site was being hammered and I couldn’t get it to load for about an hour. I’ve been refreshing the rewards page trying to get the Space Probe set but it doesn’t look like it ever got listed. Gonna guess and hope it’ll be available sometime tomorrow morning.

     

    It’s been a LONG time since I was this excited for a LEGO set. But here I am chomping at the bit until 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is in my hands. It’s $199.99 and will ship for free. If you’re a VIP member, you should take note of a couple of things:

    • Have you been collecting the special themed coins? Neither have I, but if you’re a Classic Space fan, the current coin offering is right up your alley:This thing will cost you 1,150 VIP points.
    • As announced previously, there is a special polybag set of the Ulysses Space Probe that is also available. I can’t post a picture of it because the site is getting hammered as of writing time. This set should complement the Discovery nicely and costs 1,800 VIP points.
    • Apparently, the warehouse crew unearthed a cache of 40335 Space Rocket Ride, because that one is also added to your order if you’re buying the Discovery.

    Check out the VIP Rewards page for the above offers.

    Affiliate Disclosure

    FBTB is an affiliate of LEGO.com. If you click through the links in this post and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. As always, we thank you for your continued support.

  • LEGO Announces New Space Shuttle Discovery Set

    LEGO Announces New Space Shuttle Discovery Set

    I can’t stop drooling over these images. Everything about this Space Shuttle Discovery LEGO set looks so good, right down to the Bruce Blackburn-designed NASA worm logo.

    All the angles…

    … the cargo hold…

     

    … the cockpit details…

    … and to include the Hubble Telescope?! The only thing I can knock against the set is the copyright line on the solar panels.

    Both the Shuttle and the Telescope have their own stands and UCS-style labels which is a nice touch.

    The official set number and name is 10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery. It has 2,354 pieces and will set you back $199.99 USD / £169.99 GBP / €179,99 EUR when it releases on April 1, 2021 on LEGO.com and Brand Retail locations. If you’re a VIP member, keep your eye on the rewards page as there will be a Ulysses Space Probe set available for 1,800 VIP Points.

    10283 NASA Space Shuttle Discovery Official Pictures

  • 10231 Shuttle Expedition Now Available

    The space shuttle Atlantis launched this morning from Kennedy Space Center on its final mission, marking the end of the shuttle program. Tis a sad day.

    But hey, it doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy does it? You can commemorate the shuttle program by purchasing the now-available 10231 Shuttle Expedition. It’s the successor to 10213 Shuttle Adventure with a laundry list of changes to improve playability. Order from LEGO Shop@Home through July 15 11:59pm EST and get FREE standard shipping.

  • LEGO in Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!

    collectSPACE.com posted the above image of the actual LEGO model headed out to actual space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Yay! Now all NASA has to do is figure out when to launch the darn thing.

    Thanks to CloneEmperor for the heads up.