Review: LEGO 42602 Space Research Rover

March 29, 2024 | 5

2024 is shaping up to be an astronomical year for LEGO Friends, with the theme (and many others) taking to Space – literally!

LEGO Friends alumni Olivia has been plenty busy living her best life in space, after completing her studies and grueling astronaut training, she’s now made her way to Mars, setting up a Mars Space Base, and has gone even further into the cosmos discovering alien life!

42602 Space Research Rover is the next Space-themed Friends set and features a gorgeous LEGO Friends Space Rover that just oozes sci-fi design, yet retains much of the Friends design language. It’ll be released on 1 April 2024 and will retail for US$49.99 / AU$$79.99 / £44.99 / €49.99.

Yes, it has minidolls, and yes, it is a LEGO Friends set, but this is one of the best modern LEGO Space sets to come out of Billund, and one of my favourite sets of 2024.

Come see why in this review of 42602 Space Research Rover!

Who is this set for? LEGO Space and Scifi fans who want a modern and immaculately designed Space Rover to add to their Space collection.

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set for review.

42602 Space Research Rover Set Details

Set Name: Space Research Rover
Set number: 42602
Pieces: 514
Minidolls: 2 (Olivia & William)
Retail Price:  US$49.99 / AU$79.99 / £44.99 / €49.99
Theme: Friends
Release Date: 1 April 2024
Availability: N/A
Set Designers: Wes Talbott (@wes_talbott), Anne Godsk (@AnneGodsk)

Like most Friends sets, there’s a sticker sheet included, which I really don’t mind in sets like these. Some stickers of note are the two Classic Space logos with a purple and mint twist, as well as two sleeping bags with the CS logos.

You get four of these large wheels in the new dark orange colour that’s a fixture across the Space-themed sets.

Fans of new botanical elements will be excited to know that the large Fern makes its debut in trans-blue. It’s got a really cool pearlescent sheen to it, and it just looks so otherworldly and mystical. Oh, and you get a nice selection of the smaller fern piece in trans-pink as well.

Two minidolls are included in this set – William and Olivia. Olivia is one of the original Friends characters, whose passions were always STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), so it’s amazing to see her achieving her dream of being in Space.

William was actually her classmate at the LEGO Friends Space Academy Set, so it’s great to see yet another character make a return.

The other cadet from that Space Academy set, Julian features in 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket, so it’s great to see that everyone from the Academy eventually graduated and became Astronauts!

Olivia and William both have space suits for when they need to descend to the alien planet surface, and these great orange and purple suits beneath them as well. I guess this makes them Classic Space Astronauts?

Here’s a look at their back prints.

Oh, and it wouldn’t be a LEGO Friends set without some cute animals. A Space Dog makes its debut in the set and it’s just the cutest thing ever! It has its very own space suit and helmet, and I love that its ears are metallic!

The design of the Astrodog was mostly inspired by Graphic Designer Anne Godsk’s very own dog!

How cute are these LEGO Friends animals in space! Here is the Space Dog meeting the Space Cat from 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket!

One of the mini-builds in the set is this Space Scooter, which according to set designer Wes Talbott is a direct nod to 6815 Hovertron, a small Space Scooter from the Exploriens theme that was one of his favourite childhood sets.

It’s a small tidy design, and I love the batteries on the side.

The main build is this LEGO Friends Space Research Rover which is just a sublime design that’s one of the best modern LEGO Space sets ever created.

It features gorgeous curves, and a near-studless clean design that accentuates the curvy geometry of the rover.

Here’s how it looks from the side, to illustrate just how nicely the curves and straight lines juxtapose one another.

The Research Rover’s most eye-catching feature is of course the four large wheels, and I love that it eschews rubber or a tracked design for this relatively smooth, bulbous wheels, which look quite bouncy and at the same time, look like a contemporary space rover too.

It’s also not a completely rigid vehicle as there’s a pivot point that allows the two sections to twist and turn, allowing the rover to steer about.

Here’s a view from the back.

And here’s a look at the cockpit, which features plenty of trans-purple glass which really fits into the LEGO Friends colour scheme, and contrasts quite nicely against the whites and orange.

Wes Talbott has made great uses of these new Speed Champions canopies for the sides which just accentuates just how sci-fi it looks.

At the base is a small robot with arms to grab specimens, and can also grasp a camera!

The cockpit opens up satisfyingly to reveal quite a large space within.

There’s a video feed here from the camera.

And also a map which places them on Planet N1C3 (nice). Even after leaving Heartlake City, LEGO Friends continues to bring its wholesomeness into the galaxy.

Interestingly, it looks like Planet N1C3 lies beyond the Solar System, suggesting that the LEGO Friends Space team has been using Mars as a base to access the wider reaches of the galaxy.

Here’s a look at the back of the Rover which you can easily access by swiveling the roof upwards.

It’s a bit of a squeeze but both minidolls can fit inside there to work and do science! And yes, there’s also living quarters for the Space Dog, complete with some snacks!

There are beds here for the minidolls to sleep on.

And in a very clever way to save space, when not in use, the beds can be folded down to reveal lab equipment!

Here’s a look at the screen which has picked up scans of extra-terrestrial life!

Before we get to the aliens, here’s look at one of the coolest features of the Friends Research Rover – like all good LEGO Space sets, it’s multi-functional and modular, as you can detach the top half from the wheels.

The top half by itself also makes for a sleek-looking space transport – handy to escape the planet and leave the wheels behind.

The top half also breaks up into two halves, using the Airlock element to fuse both sections together.

A small patch of alien landscape is also included, where we have this very cool but friendly looking plants!

The fern elements in blue and purple give it an otherworldly vibe. These alien plants can then open up to reveal some very friendly aliens!

Here’s a look at both aliens, which feature printed domes, which is a welcome touch. I guess the intelligent life on planet N1C3 are true to their name – quite nice and friendly and pose no harm to our brave astronauts!

And last but not least, here’s a look at both LEGO Friends Space sets together. I really appreciate the uniform design language and colour scheme of 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket and 42602 Space Research Rover and how good they look together.

The rover is quite large, in comparison with the space base, which makes sense as they’re meant to live in it for extended periods of time.

And yes, the Rover also looks great on a Classic Space baseplate.

What I liked:

• A terrific design that marries sci-fi with Friends
• One of the most beautiful LEGO Space designs
• Continuity from the Space Academy set, and ties in with the Mars Base
• Astrodog is super cute
• Build was short, sweet and most importantly, very fun

What I didn’t like: 

• Feels a tad expensive at full price

Final Thoughts:

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m over the moon with 42602 Space Research Rover and consider this one of my favourite LEGO sets of 2024.

As a huge fan of all eras of LEGO Space, this curvy, studless Space Research Rover just oozes sci-fi coolness and neo-LEGO Space, and is just a thing of beauty.

The Rover employs gentle yet intricate geometry across the entire model, with super clean surfaces and lines that are tied together with these massive bulbous wheels. The design is incredibly polished and showcases some really advanced techniques that you’d typically see on display at LEGO Conventions.

For LEGO to take a chance on a really forward-looking design like this, much less in a LEGO Friends theme is further proof that LEGO Design can still surprise and delight at any price-point, and in any theme.

While yes, this is a Friends set, the design of this Rover is just sublime and even LEGO fans who have an aversion to minidolls will not be able to resist its charms.

As a Friends set, the story-telling is particularly rich, as we explore Olivia’s adult life. She’s graduated Space Academy with her friends, and is now discovering extra-terrestrial life on an alien planet, and I love how this set ties in with the Mars base, proving that Space, Exploration and cool looking Research Rovers can be gender-neutral.

At US$49.99, it’s a little on the expensive side, but doesn’t fall into over-priced territory, but for a design like this, plus an ultra-cute Space Dog, it’s something you definitely want on your radar, especially if you have a deep appreciation for Space and Sci-fi.

LEGO are incredibly bold to release such a great design like this under the LEGO Friends banner, and as a space junkie and longtime Friends fan, I’m all over it, which is why I’m awarding this set my first perfect score of the year, because this is flawless LEGO Space in the most unexpected of places.

Build [4] – A quick, fun and enjoyable build that looks simple, but includes some particularly clever design techniques
Real Value [4] – Just a tad expensive but doesn’t feel overpriced
Innovation [5] – A bold move by LEGO to release such a sublime Space Rover in the Friends theme
Coolness [5] – An instant-classic and such an aesthetically pleasing model that traces its heritage all the way back to Classic Space
Keepability [5] – I’m going to display this alongside the other LEGO Space greats.

Rating and score: 5/5 ★★★★★

Thanks for reading my review of 42602 Space Research Rover

42602 Space Research Rover will be available from 1 April 2024 from LEGO.com, or your local LEGO store.

If you plan on purchasing 42602 Space Research Rover please consider using the affiliate links found in the post to support the blog, as I may receive a small commission with each purchase.

What do you think of LEGO Friends Space Research Rover? Did you ever expect to see a design like this in a retail set?

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