NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover — LEGO set 21104

Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗

Ideas · SET 21104

NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover

Curiosity becomes a compact Martian laboratory with six-wheel suspension, a robotic arm and a small patch of terrain to explore.

Pieces: 295
Release year: 2014
Theme: Ideas
Set number: 21104
LEGO recommended age: 10+
Archived regional retail price · US: 29.99 USD

Official LEGO archive Official building instructions

Retired from the LEGO Italy catalogue when checked on 24 October 2026. Availability can change. Check the store for the latest information.

Archived regional retail price in the stated market and currency. It does not establish the Italian launch price; no estimated currency conversion. Brickset ↗ · Reference checked on 22 October 2026

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Official English name verified at: LEGO English archive ↗ · Checked on 24 October 2026.

TIME TO BUILD

How long does it take to build NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover?

Individual build

A starting point for planning your build. Times for each experience level are editorial estimates, not measurements submitted by HowLongToBuild users.

Editorial model estimate · no verified measured building time

Beginner

≈ 2 h 45 minSuggested range1 h 45 min – 4 h

Intermediate

≈ 1 h 45 minSuggested range1 h – 2 h 45 min

Experienced

≈ 1 h 15 minSuggested range45 min – 2 h

Based on one person building the set for the first time, following the original instructions and using numbered bags where supplied. Includes normal piece-finding and minor adjustments; excludes long breaks, filming, dismantling and modifications. Sources may use different methods. This range is neither a statistical interval nor a limit: your build may take less or more time.

How we estimate times · sources and method

Rocker-bogie suspension, small joints and the science arm matter more than the part count alone. Allow time to check that everything moves properly. Planning ranges are editorial allowances of roughly 65–145% of the central estimate, not guaranteed limits or measured averages.

Sources do not always specify the builder’s experience. The three experience bands are our editorial assessment, based on the complexity of the set and individual accounts where available.

LEGO · model instructions and image ↗
Source for structure, pieces and components, not a measured building time. Experience-level times are editorial estimates.

Checked: 24 October 2026 · Method v1.0 · Limited reports; not a statistical average.

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MAKE ROOM FOR YOUR NEXT BUILD

How much display space does it need?

Assembled-model dimensions are not yet documented for this set. Box dimensions cannot tell you how much display space it needs.

BEYOND THE BRICKS

Did you know?

The model, the history, the ideas

Inside the set

Designed by a Curiosity engineer

Stephen Pakbaz, who worked on the real rover, created the project selected through LEGO CUUSOO.

LEGO source

Six wheels over rough ground

The rocker-bogie suspension and articulated arm echo the rover’s functions. Brick-built rocks provide obstacles to test its movement.

LEGO source

Beyond the set

The stories, places and inventions behind your build.

A crater with a mountain

Curiosity landed in Gale crater on 6 August 2012. At its centre stands Mount Sharp, a roughly five-kilometre-high mountain of layered sedimentary rock.

Read the full story

Curiosity landed in Gale in 2012 after launching the previous November. The roughly 150-kilometre crater contains Mount Sharp, about five kilometres high. Layered sedimentary rocks preserve materials formed in different environments, making the landscape a record of Martian geological history.

NASA Johnson Space Center

Clay minerals tell a water story

Mount Sharp’s lower layers contain clay minerals. On Earth these generally form with abundant liquid water, making them useful clues to past environments.

Read the full story

Clay-bearing lower layers and sulfate-rich rocks above help reconstruct changing water and climate conditions. Rover cameras and instruments examine minerals, chemistry and organic molecules. Studying potentially habitable environments concerns their conditions; it is not a declaration that life has been found.

NASA Johnson Space Center

Expanded stories updated on 29 October 2026

Written by HowLongToBuild · Sources are linked with each story · Checked on 24 October 2026. Historical facts and story details refer to the context described.

THE COMMUNITY’S EXPERIENCE

What was it like to build?

Three separate scores from 1 to 10. For difficulty, 1 means very easy and 10 means very difficult.

No approved ratings yet. Scores are never generated by this site or inferred from the recommended age.

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Building tips from the community

Specific steps, useful checks and sticking points. Contributions appear after moderation, in their original language. Do not upload instruction pages or personal contact details.

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SET THE MOOD

A soundtrack for your build

· Selected for the subject and atmosphere

Spacious ambient textures and restrained accents leave room for the instructions. The pairing supports a continuous session without setting a building speed.

OUR PICK

Ambient 1: Music for Airports

Brian Eno

Intimate and spacious

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