UGears: Manned Mars Rover (562pc)

Imagine the future of space exploration with Ugears' Manned Mars Rover, anall-terrain planetary explorer with 6×6 all-wheel drive, a cab for twoastronauts, spring-driven motor, a swivel between cab and body, and fully-sprungindependent suspension. This DIY model space rover has its front centerlinepushed forward for better climbing and stability, front wheels that turn formaneuverability, and large diameter wheels to overcome obstacles whilenavigating the Martian landscape. A ramp folds down in the back, while atop-mounted dish antenna rotates 360° and can swivel up and down to transmit orreceive signals to and from the base.

The Manned Mars Rover has a storage bay for tools and equipment or rocksamples. Open it up to reveal the ratchet key that winds the spring motor. Onthe back left panel is a Start/Stop slide switch. Set the switch to “Stop”before giving the ratchet key several twists, then close the bay, flip theswitch to “Start” and watch as your rover sets off to explore the redplanet. Set up your own Martian obstacle course and be amazed at how therover's six wheels cushion the bumps thanks to independent suspension, whilerubberized wheels provide grip on smooth surfaces.

Laser engraving provides a level of detail and realism—just look at thecab's dashboard and the solar panels on top of the hatch. You can place asticker with the official NASA insignia on your Rover's right side panel! Theinsignia, in use since 1959, features a blue sphere representing a planet, av-shaped red wing representing aeronautics, stars that represent space, and awhite circular orbit around the space agency's name. NASA Insignia andidentifiers provided and used with permission of NASA.

NASA's Artemis II mission, scheduled for November 2024 launch, will pavethe way for a permanent lunar outpost and eventually a crewed mission to Mars.If humanity makes it all the way to Mars we're going to need a way to getaround. People have a love affair with cars, and it's no surprise that not longafter Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon (Apollo 11, July 21, 1969)astronauts David Scott and James Irwin were driving around the lunar surface ina “moon buggy” (Apollo 15, July 31, 1971). The most scientificallyinteresting moon rocks never would have been collected if we hadn't taken a carto space, for greater range of exploration. The LRV (“Lunar Roving Vehicle”)was an impressive piece of engineering, having to bear twice its 209 kg weight,withstand micrometeoroids traveling faster than bullets, and reliably operate in500° F temperature swings. Two engineers at General Motors saw the projectthrough: Polish-born Mieczyslaw Gregory Bekker and Hungarian-born FerencPavlics. Gentlemen, we salute you! Three LRVs remain in long-term parking on thelunar surface.

This imaginative, next-generation DIY wooden model planetary rover is made ofart-quality composite wood. One of the great features of Ugears is that youdon't need glue or special tools to build our models: everything you need forassembly comes in the box. Just push the pieces out of their precision laser-cutboards and snap them together following the step-by-step, full-color illustratedinstructions in 11 languages (Ukrainian, English, German, French, Polish,Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Be sure to“develop” the gearing by lubricating and operating all moving elementsduring construction, for optimal function of your Manned Mars Rover. If youbreak a part during assembly, just let our customer service team know.Replacement parts are free, as part of our overall commitment to customerservice.

The Ugears Manned Mars Rover is “big brother” to our Mars Rover minimodel, and a far-out addition to our already impressive collection ofall-terrain vehicles, including the Tracked Off-Road Vehicle, Desert Buggy,Military Truck, Dozor-B Combat Vehicle, and Scrambler UGR-10 Motorbike. Collectthem all, compare their performance, and think about how engineers tailor designto meet the needs of the mission!

Specifications:

• Model size: 11.8 × 5.7 × 7.3 in(30 × 14.5 × 18­.5 cm)
• Package size: 14.7 × 6.7 × 2 in(37.3 × 17 × 5 cm)
• Number of components: 562
• Estimated time for assembly: 8 hours
• Level: Advanced