Aerospace Bricker

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In celebration of Artemis II - here's the step-by-step plans for AeroSpace Bricker's Most Basic Bricks & Plates Only 1/100 Micro Scale version of NASA Artemis Orion / SLS in a downloadable/printable PDF file...

NASA Artemis Orion / SLS 1/100 Micro Scale Step-by-step build instructions for this LEGO® model.

Welcome Home Artemis!
Angel & I had our names onboard inside "Rise."
So now - with a successfully completed mission - Artemis Orion-SLS joins my US Human Crewed Space LEGO model collection…
I have digital build plans for all of these. Please let me know if you want any of them.

The Apollo Saturn V flew 9 manned missions to the moon - all successfully returning the crews safely home. Of those, 6 included also landing on the moon.
Only 1 of the 9 (Apollo 13) failed to obit the moon - that aborted mission did a "free return trajectory" maneuver - similar to what Artemis II plans to do.
All manned Apollo flights took place between 1968 and 1972 (4 years).
If all goes well, Artemis II may start its first manned mission tomorrow (April 1, 2026) over 53 years later.
Even if that flight gets delayed - we hope to see another manned moon mission successfully completed soon!
In anticipation of that - I have build plans for a 1/100 Micro Scale Artemis LEGO model ready to release - upon that mission’s success.
In the meantime - here's the step-by-step plans for AeroSpace Bricker's Most Basic Bricks & Plates Only 1/100 Micro Scale version of NASA Apollo Saturn V in a downloadable/printable PDF file generated using LEGO® BrickLink® Studio™...

NASA Apollo Saturn V 1/100 Micro Scale Step-by-step build instructions for this LEGO® model.

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47 of my 52 AeroSpace Bricker™ 1/30 Base Scale Rutan/SCALED LEGO® models have been on display in the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin since 2011 (15 years). This exhibit was added to the Rutan Legacy section of the museum on the occasion honoring my dad Burt Rutan’s retirement from SCALED Composites - the company he founded in 1982 and sold completely to Northrup Grumman shortly before he retired. Many thousands of aviation enthusiasts got to see these models in those years – along with real artifacts, several actual aircraft & full-scale replicas of Voyager & SpaceShipOne (the original real ones of these two replicas are in the Smithsonian - along with a few other Rutan/SCALED aircraft).

Last year (2025) EAA celebrated the 50th Anniversary of dad’s VariEze airplane that revolutionized the homebuilt aircraft industry. VariEze was a futuristic stall-proof design built using his then new moldless fiberglass & foam composite construction techniques - instead of the typical riveted aluminum and/or wood & cloth. The fact it could be built in a couple years by one person in their home garage - in (all) their spare time - with no previous aircraft construction skills - catapulted VariEze to instant success back in 1976 - when it was first introduced at the EAA Annual AirVenture Fly-In/Air Show/Convention.

This week I was notified the EAA no longer wishes to display my models - so they’re shipping them back to me. I don’t have enough space to display them in my home. I’ll be looking for a new museum that will appreciate & display them for years to come.

These models represent nearly the full scope of the of the extensive body of manned aerospace craft created by Burt Rutan & SCALED Composites (under his leadership) – all to scale in a medium (Most Basic LEGO® Bricks & Plates Only) that anyone can build themselves - using my plans or making up their own. My hope is that the models inspire interest, creativity & STEM ambitions/learning/achievement in younger folks - as the real ones inspired generations of engineers before.

I'm currently working on build plans for the biggest LEGO® model I've designed so far. I have a self-imposed max limit of 5 feet (1.5 meters) max dimension for any model I design. This new model is close to that limit in wingspan at 56.1" (142.4 cm). My 1/30 Base Scale WhiteKnightTwo has exactly the same wingspan in real life & here in the same scale. But this B-29 has bulkier total volume in all dimensions - even with only one fuselage.
My online friend John Schneiderman inspired this project. He's been working on creative techniques to build using a very limited part type inventory (like I use - but possibly adding some Tiles) to try to get rid of as many visible studs & anti-studs as possible. Then he came up with some new ideas for building horizontally instead of vertically to achieve this more economically.
We ended up committing to both of us designing the same airplane in the same scale using the same part type limitations - but in opposite build orientations. After we both finish our Stud·io Instructions, we will do a presentation together comparing & contrasting the approaches & techniques we used - and telling about what we learned along the way.
Should be a great story! Stay tuned!

AeroSpace Bricker™ features a growing list of models of Aircraft & Spacecraft that have flown with a human onboard. All models are built using Only the Most Basic LEGO® Bricks & Plates ("Classic Style"). Most of these are available in LDraw™ 3D step-by-step building plan files. Many are now available in BrickLink® Studio™ (Stud·io) files - best for those interested in building them in real life. Some also include instructions as printable PDF files (now as output from Stud·io files).

AeroSpace Bricker was originally started in 2008 to produce educational materials - centered around the Burt Rutan / SCALED Composites collection of aerospace ships they designed, built & flew - inspiring many in the aerospace industry for over 5 decades. The AeroSpace Bricker goal evolved over the years. But the mission has remained the same - to inspire interest, learning & creativity in aerospace. This now includes many non-Rutan/SCALED Historic/Milestone/Popular aerospace ships.

The "Bricks & Plates Only" philosophy is meant to keep it simple - designing & building anything you can imagine using & reusing a relatively modest inventory - quickly & efficiently. These creative activities expand the mind - gaining appreciation for the subjects being modeled - enjoying the process & experiencing the sense of accomplishment in completing multi-step projects.