LEGO Reviews Ideas21321

International Space Station

Name: LEGO International Space Station 21321
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 21321

78 · RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: BBB2020864 pcsHigh agreement · 92%

Expert reviews

10analyzed

Owner ratings

9.5K+

BrickScore

Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 78.4 and an extraordinary 4.88-star average across over 9,500 owner ratings, the LEGO ISS is about as close to a consensus masterpiece as an Ideas set gets: a faithfully detailed, all-printed display model that consistently delivers more than buyers expect for the price."

Reviewers across Brickset and a large pool of LEGO.com owners gave the International Space Station near-unanimous praise, landing it a BrickScore of 78.4 and a Highly Recommended tier. The completed model's size and accuracy consistently surprised buyers, and the absence of stickers in favor of printed elements was called out as a major win. Owner sentiment is exceptionally strong: 9,541 ratings average 4.88 out of 5, and 90% of LEGO.com buyers would recommend it.

Where to Buy

Walmart

Out of stock · 1% off

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LOVED (7)

01Impressive completed size, larger than most buyers expected
02All printed elements instead of stickers, especially praised on the solar panel tiles
03Rotatable solar panels and adjustable stabilizers add realistic interactivity

+4 more with Collector

CRITICIZED (5)

01Some parts, particularly antennas and small attachments, fall off during construction
02Blue background in the instruction manual made some diagrams harder to read
03Bag sequencing criticised by some: bag 4 makes the model top-heavy before bag 5 stabilizes it

+2 more with Collector

Build Facts what critics report

🧩 Difficulty

intermediate

🎯 Audience

adults

In Their Words most-used terms across every critic review

solarspacedisplaypanelsprintedshuttlestandmodulesdetailsincludesdetailgooddesignvaluedespitestickerselementsspacecraftpanelshouldpricemultiplestructureexcellentimpressiveincludedtechnicscale

What reviewers are saying

Critic quotes from 13 more reviewersUnlock See a premium example →

Ecosystem

21312 Women of NASA 79 — The Space Shuttle in 21321 is nearly the same scale as the one in 21312 Women of NASA and shares some design elements, but is an updated version with more details including small side engines thanks to roller skates, something previous models always lacked. Also uses the same printed 1×4 solar panel tile introduced in 21312.

21309 NASA Apollo Saturn V 91 — The astronaut microfigures in 21321 are identical to those included in 21309, so their spacesuits are Apollo-era rather than current generation uniforms

21311 Voltron 83 — Uses the mechanical pattern 2×2 round tile that was introduced with 21311 Voltron and has been showing up in a variety of sets since

Speed Champions line — In a comment response, the reviewer notes there are more difficult techniques to build in Speed Champions sets (rated 8+) than in this ISS set (rated 16+), questioning the age rating

🎨 Designer Christoph Ruge (named by critics)

IdeasInvestment Grade

By Reviewer · 1

Avg score

The Brothers Brick

Expert Video Source

BUY

"It will come as no surprise at this point that I highly recommend this set. It's a fantastically designed LEGO model of one of mankind's most impressive achievements of the modern age, representing a true high-water mark of international cooperation."

Key Pros

✓Fantastic design quality and engineering
✓Great value for money at $0.08 per piece
✓No sticker sheet required; all 122 decorated elements are printed

Key Cons

✕Solar panel building is repetitious
✕Cupola window printing lacks two of six windows despite having space for them (design oversight)

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Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Investment score 75

Critics discussed this set's investment case

Buy-now vs wait consensus, value drivers, exclusivity and resale outlook

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Minifigures & Standout Parts

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Printed 1×4 tile with solar panel design
Introduced with 21312 Women of NASA in 2017; 64 of them included in this set to constitute solar panels without sticker application
Dark blue 2×3 plate with clips (printed solar panel design)
New print for this piece; appeared with solar panel stickers in City sets, but here 46 of them are printed instead of stickered, saving tedious sticker application
8×3 flags with solar panel design (printed)
New print on this element; also includes four unprinted white versions of the same flag
2×2 truncated cone (cupola window, printed)
New print with two pairs of windows printed on opposite sides, though the real cupola has six windows; the print lacks the final two windows despite having space for them
Printed nameplate (silver)
Beautifully printed in silver, exclusive to this set; reviewer wishes Star Wars UCS sets would imitate this approach
2×2 radar dishes (metallic silver)
Four included; not particularly rare but a nice metallic detail