麻豆传媒

(Image: Stephen Pakbaz)

NASA鈥檚 Mars Curiosity rover may already have discovered the first definitive evidence that the Red Planet was once suited to life 鈥� but only now has the interplanetary monster truck gained the space fan鈥檚 ultimate credential: immortalisation in Lego.

It鈥檚 the latest in a long line of Lego space kits, but this one is special because it was demanded by thousands and designed by an engineer who worked on the real Curiosity.

鈥淚 combined this first-hand experience with my Lego hobby to create a Lego model that was as faithful to the actual rover as possible in terms of accuracy, details and mechanical function,鈥� says designer Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer who worked on Curiosity at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The model has a working suspension system, an articulated arm and a poseable mast for recreating your favourite events in Curiosity鈥檚 ongoing mission.

The Curiosity toy is the fifth design to be approved for release via , which lets enthusiasts submit their own designs to the Danish-based toy company for others to vote on. Any model winning 10,000 votes is considered for release. A Lego version of the Japanese Hayabusa asteroid sampler also started life on Cuusoo and .

Pakbaz has for a Lego version of the Sky Crane daringly employed by NASA to lower Curiosity to the surface of Mars.

See more notable space probe toys in our gallery: 鈥�Mars R Us: Six toys all space fans must have鈥�

Toy Mars rovers have a storied history, going back to Mattel鈥檚 , released in 1996. In 2001, the toy company produced a 鈥淩eturn to Mars鈥� set which included the Mars Polar Lander, the Mars Climate Orbiter and the Deep Space Two probes 鈥� all of which failed.

鈥淚t went from the 鈥楻eturn to Mars Set鈥� to the 鈥楳ars Crash Set,'鈥� says Robert Pearlman of , a resource for space history enthusiasts. 鈥淚t taught Mattel a lesson about trying to release something before there was a success.鈥� The company waited until after Curiosity safely landed on 6 August last year before .

Lego, on the other hand, took a risk on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission, composed of the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and released in advance of the rovers鈥� landings in 2004. Those models are now popular collectors鈥� items. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e lucky if you can find one in a box for less than a few hundred dollars,鈥� says Pearlman.

Even those who work every day on the real Curiosity are excited to pick up the new toy. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 fantastic that Lego is taking on a Curiosity design,鈥� says of Caltech, the rover鈥檚 principal scientist. 鈥淚 enjoyed putting the MER model together with my older daughter and now I鈥檒l get to do the same with my younger daughter.鈥�