Interstellar Engineering: The LEGO Icons Project Hail Mary Set

There is a particular breed of science fiction that grabs you not just with lasers and warp drives, but with the sheer, terrifying grandeur of physics. It is the kind of storytelling where math is a weapon and engineering is the only thing standing between humanity and extinction.

Andy Weir mastered this with The Martian, and he arguably perfected it with Project Hail Mary. Now, that desperate, lonely, and scientifically rich narrative has been immortalized in brick form. If you have ever found yourself staring up at the night sky, wondering what it would take to save a dying sun, the LEGO Icons Project Hail Mary is about to become the most essential addition to your desk.

This isn’t just another spaceship model; it is a microscale tribute to one of the most compelling hard sci-fi stories of the decade. Designed specifically for adults, this 830-piece kit invites you to step into the shoes of Ryland Grace—without the terrifying memory loss or the coma—and construct the vessel that carries humanity’s last hope.

At £99.99, it sits in that sweet spot of being a substantial, detailed build without demanding the shelf space (or the mortgage payment) of the massive UCS Star Wars sets. It is compact, dense with detail, and surprisingly kinetic.

The Hail Mary itself is a unique beast in the pantheon of sci-fi ships. It isn’t a sleek fighter jet or a floating city; it is a function-over-form piece of desperate engineering, designed for a one-way trip. LEGO has captured this utilitarian aesthetic perfectly in the 11389 set.

As you piece together the hull, you are building a microscale replica that feels grounded in reality. But the real magic happens when you engage with the engineering inside the model itself. The story of Project Hail Mary leans heavily on the concept of centrifugal gravity—spinning the ship to create a sense of down.

LEGO has translated this crucial plot point into a functional mechanic. By turning a crank on the display stand, you can send the crew module into orbit around the central axis, simulating the ship’s gravity system. It is a tactile, satisfying feature that turns a static display piece into an interactive lesson in physics.

Of course, a ship is nothing without its crew. The set includes a Ryland Grace minifigure, capturing the reluctant hero in his EVA suit, ready to face the unknown. But let’s be honest, the real draw for fans of the story is Rocky.

Included as a specially moulded figure, the Eridian engineer is the heart and soul of the narrative. Seeing the two of them side-by-side on the display stand is a fantastic nod to the “buddy cop” dynamic that drives the story, reminding us that even in the void of space, we are rarely as alone as we think.

Measuring over 12 inches high, 9.5 inches long, and 8.5 inches wide, the model commands attention without dominating the room. It creates a futuristic centerpiece that looks just as at home in a high-end office as it does in a dedicated collectibles cave.

The build process itself is streamlined for the modern era, supported by the LEGO Builder app which allows you to zoom and rotate the model in 3D as you build—a feature that feels appropriately high-tech for a set based on interstellar travel.

Whether you are a die-hard fan of the movie, a devotee of the book, or simply someone who appreciates the intersection of LEGO and space exploration, the Project Hail Mary set is a triumph. It celebrates the ingenuity of the source material while offering a sophisticated, engaging build that results in a truly unique display piece.

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