For $39.99, a Mars mission with a working shuttle, rover, and habitat module is a lot of science fiction made real in brick form. The price is the story here — City Space sets rarely feel this complete at this number.
Is the price fair?A+An A+ at MSRP — three distinct builds for $39.99 is City Space doing the math right.
Will you love it?B-n/a
Holds its value?C-Retired City sets at this scale don't flip — the secondary market barely blinks.
The Full Take
The Mars Research Shuttle landed at $39.99 in 2019 and immediately made other City sets look like they were overcharging. You get a proper shuttle, a rover, and a habitat pod — three distinct builds that together tell a coherent story on the shelf or the floor. The two minifigs are geared up and purposeful, not filler. As a build, 273 pieces won't push a veteran builder's limits, but the segmented design means there's no dead stretch where you're just stacking bricks waiting for something interesting. The price grade is the headline: an A+ at MSRP is rare, and this set earned it. Where it stumbles is longevity — retired City sets in this size bracket rarely command a premium, so don't read the B+ overall as a future collectible signal. Buy it because the mission looks good on a shelf and plays even better on a carpet.
