Given how much I enjoyed the Project Hail Mary movie, I was beyond hyped to get my hands on the Lego Project Hail Mary set. And now that I’ve built it, I’m thrilled to say it does not disappoint. You could even say that it’s amaze, amaze, amaze!
The titular Hail Mary is the spaceship from “Project Hail Mary”, the Andy Weir novel-turned-Hollywood blockbuster that carries Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) across the stars to save humanity. While the design of the ship is certainly described in the book, this is definitely a Lego rendition of the movie version. So, if you’re an Andy Weir fan who imagined it looking a little different, you can blame the studio.
Coming in at $99.99 with just under 900 pieces, it’s a lot smaller than we expected (and hoped for). If you’re after something comparable to the hefty NASA Artemis Space Launch System or gargantuan Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser sets, then you’ll be disappointed. However, the Lego Project Hail Mary has a heck of a party trick to make up for its diminutive size: A spinning mechanism that simulates the centrifugal gravity system of the ship.
Price: $99.99/£99.99
Model number: 11389
Number of pieces: 830
Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 8.5 inches / 30 x 25 x 22 cm
Recommended age: 18+
Lego Project Hail Mary review: Build
(Image credit: Future (Ian Stokes))
The Lego Project Hail Mary is constructed from 830 pieces, split across six numbered paper bags, with a few large pieces in a separate plastic bag. I built the kit over the course of two nights, but you could easily smash it out in a single evening if you wanted to.
The build starts with a little diorama, showcasing the Ryland and Rocky minifigures on either side of a window (the barrier that separates them when they first meet and learn to communicate in the movie). It’s a cool little display that can work well on its own or can be attached to the stand of the ship itself.
From there on, four out of the six bags are almost entirely dedicated to the display stand and the incorporated spinning mechanism, with the final section of bag four attaching the ship’s crew module to the spinning mechanism. Thanks to the intricate mechanism inside it, the stand not only spins, but also retracts and extends the crew section of the ship, simulating the centrifugal gravity system from the movie. While it’s a complicated mechanism that means a lot of Technic pieces, but the build itself is straightforward thanks to the clear instructions.
At last, the final two bags will see you constructing the ship itself. This consists of the main body where the thruster is housed, the three fuselage sections, and the solar panel array that provides power to the ship. Some builders might be disappointed that the actual spacecraft is a remarkably small part of the build process, but I think the spinning display stand is cool enough to offset that. Also, there are no stickers, which is always a huge win for me.
Lego Project Hail Mary review: Design
As I mentioned earlier, the display stand is surprisingly hefty and draws the eye away from the beautiful ship – a bit more than you might want from a display piece. That’s the downside, but the upside is that it’s an awesome party piece. Turning the handle on the front of the stand in either direction rotates the entire ship, simulating its spin in the movie. If you turn the handle clockwise, the crew module extends outward, while turning it counterclockwise retracts it.
The ship itself is a great recreation of Grace’s eponymous craft, the Hail Mary. It’s quite small, as Lego spaceships go, so there are no interior details or easter eggs hiding within the construction. Despite that, it captures the distinctive silhouette of the craft well, and includes all the major details, like the astrophage-powered engines that make the whole mission possible. From the three main pillars of the ship, which are the fuel tanks that store the astrophage, to the solar panel arrays that stick out from the main body, it all looks great.
I really love the little mini-diorama scene that you can create between Grace and Rocky, recreating their tentative first contact. It’s a clever bit of design too, as you can attach their individual plinths to the main display and tuck the glass divider away in the stand. The minifigures themselves are great too. Grace has a custom red NASA flight suit, while Rocky is barely a minifigure — he’s an eccentric collection of pieces mashed together, but I can’t deny the end result is unmistakable Rocky.
Should you buy the Lego Project Hail Mary?
Overall, the Lego Project Hail Mary is a wonderful set that should thrill fans of the movie (more so than fans of the book, although I’m sure they’ll enjoy it too). The ship looks fantastic, and the spinning mechanism is wonderful to see in motion. There are actually some enterprising companies out there selling motorized mod kits for it, which is something I’m seriously considering checking out myself.
With that said, the prominent nature of the stand and somewhat gimmicky spinning feature does limit its appeal as a display model. Plus, those who aren’t big into technic-like builds may want to pass on this one and just admire it from afar.
Finally, while the build itself is only suitable for older teens and adults due to the complex nature of the internal workings, the finished model will definitely delight younger kids thanks to the interactivity it offers.