Beginner
≈ 2 h 45 minSuggested range1 h 45 min – 4 h
Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗
Friends · SET 42602
Space Research Rover
A habitable rover carries two explorers and their dog across an imaginary planet, with lab and flying scooter.
- Pieces
- 514
- Release year
- 2024
- Theme
- Friends
- Set number
- 42602
- LEGO recommended age
- 8+
- LEGO retail price · Italy
- 49.99 €
Retired from the LEGO Italy catalogue when checked on 23 October 2026. Availability can change. Check the store for the latest information.
Retail price reported by the LEGO source for the stated market. Check the store for current price and availability; this does not establish the launch price. LEGO ↗ · Reference checked on 23 October 2026
Official English name verified at: LEGO English catalogue ↗ · Checked on 24 October 2026.
TIME TO BUILD
How long does it take to build Space Research Rover?
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
Intermediate
≈ 1 h 45 minSuggested range1 h – 2 h 45 minExperienced
≈ 1 h 15 minSuggested range45 min – 2 hBased 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
Vehicle, moving arm, lab and accessories in a compact build. The three central durations are model-specific editorial assessments. Planning ranges extend approximately from 65% to 145%, rounded to quarter-hours; they are not measured experience-level averages or guaranteed limits.
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 Italy · Space Research Rover ↗
This source documents the model’s features and components, not a timed build. No sufficiently verifiable individual building-time report has been identified for this set.
- LEGO building instructions · Space Research Rover ↗
Set-specific instructions checked against the set number, piece count and year. The duration is an editorial assessment based on piece count, construction type, mechanisms and detail.
Checked: 23 ottobre 2026 · Method v1.0 · Limited reports; not a statistical average.
BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY
Yours could be the first building time.
0 reviewed solo building times.
No solo building times have been reviewed yet. You can still find editorial estimates under Suggested times.
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Build your own story.
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How much display space does it need?
Model or component measured by LEGO
- Height
- ≈ 12 cm
- Width
- ≈ 12 cm
- Depth / length
- ≈ 17 cm
These measurements refer to the model or component in the original specification below. Other builds, poses or arrangements may need additional space.
Check your shelf space
Which model was measured? · original Italian specification
Dimensioni: set di 514 pezzi con un rover che misura 12 cm di altezza, 17 cm di lunghezza e 12 cm di larghezzaApproximate assembled-model measurements, not packaging dimensions. Allow extra room for handling, moving parts and the display stand. The comparison uses the measured model’s overall footprint, allows a 90° rotation and does not assess stability or shelf load. Source LEGO ↗ · 2026-10-29
BEYOND THE BRICKS
Did you know?
Inside the set
An opening laboratory
The rear reveals research space and folding beds, including the dog’s.
LEGO sourceAn observing arm
An extending camera arm examines alien-life evidence, including inside flowers.
LEGO sourceBeyond the set
The stories, places and inventions behind your build.
AI-planned routes
In December 2025, Perseverance drove routes with experimentally AI-planned waypoints under mission oversight.
Read the full story
Perseverance used experimentally AI-generated waypoints on 8 and 10 December 2025. Engineers checked drive commands in a digital twin before transmission. The demonstration changed route preparation without eliminating mission safeguards, retaining engineering verification before the rover moved across Martian terrain.
Six wheels, a real laboratory
The real rover is a six-wheel science system. The Friends vehicle remains an imaginary crewed base with a dog.
Read the full story
The real six-wheeled rover receives route plans rather than continuous joystick driving from Earth, where communication delays prevent immediate control. The Friends base remains fictional. NASA’s example explains exploration challenges without identifying the model as Perseverance or claiming equivalent scientific capabilities.
Expanded stories updated on 29 October 2026
Written by HowLongToBuild · Sources are linked with each story · Checked on 23 October 2026. Historical facts and story details refer to the context described.
BEYOND THE BRICKS
Keep the story going
Films, series, games, books and music connected to this model or its universe.
LEGO Friends: The Next Chapter
Another adventure in the same universe, for before or after your build.
Title search on JustWatch: choose the result matching the title and year above.Streaming: Italian catalogue. Check availability, languages and terms on the external service. Searches are labelled; book results may include different editions.
Suggest a work or report a wrong connection →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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Sign in to contributeSET THE MOOD
A soundtrack for your build
· Selected for the subject and atmosphere
Instrumental conversation and a small-club character accompany urban and sociable interiors. It is a way to imagine the completed place being lived in.
OUR PICK
Time Out
The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Rhythmic and livelyEditorial suggestions, not official soundtracks for the set. External services may require an account or subscription; editions and availability can vary by country. Suggest another soundtrack →
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YOUR NEXT BUILD
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Official LEGO® image · © LEGO Group and/or the respective rights holders. Source: LEGO Italy ↗
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