Leonov

A 1:60 scale LEGO model of the Leonov, from the move 2010: The Year We Make Contact.

This is another one of my favorite science fiction vessels, and was an obvious companion build for the Discovery.  It is built to the same scale as the Discovery, and can technically couple with it. Unfortunately doing so under the influence of Earth’s gravity requires an enormous amount of external support, which I did create at some point. I have an edited photo of them joined, but it’s actually not very interesting.

The armature containing the habitat modules rotates, and is powered by an internal motor and gearing system.

I have created building instructions for it but, much like the Discovery, at 3650 pieces it would be an ambitious project.  Again, keep in mind that it was designed and built in 2004, so some pieces may be harder to come by these days.

The Dawn of Man

A small LEGO diorama recreating the opening scenes of the motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey.  Complete with watering hole, boneyard and monolith.  The monolith has the correct proportions of depth, width and height, being 1:4:9.

Dawn of Man

 

Discovery

A 1:60 scale LEGO model of the Discovery, from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The Discovery has always been one of my favorite science fictions vessels.  This model was over a year in the making and measures 185 cm (6 feet, 1 inch) in length. You can read about the making of it in the very first issue of BrickJournal magazine.

Discovery Stars

Here are some of the features I have built into this model:

  • Each pod bay door in the command module is attached using a pair of magnets and can be easily removed.  Three retractable platforms allow each pod to slide out for launch.
  • The top of the command module can be removed to reveal the detailed bod bay and habitat centrifuge.
  • The radar dish is fully pose-able and exhibits the full range of motion that is seen in the movie.
  • The ship and stand can be separated into four major sections for transportation.

I have created building instructions for this model, but at 3873 pieces taking on this project is not for the faint of heart.  Keep in mind that it was designed and built in 2003, so some of the parts are no longer in production and hard to come by.