Customer Reviews

Ultimate Saturn V Rocket

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My son has a great time with this Saturn V rocket. It comes apart in the appropriate stages and the lunar lander and command module fit together well and in the proper way. The pushbutton countdown feature is nice, though I would like it more if a second push were to turn off the sound (there is currently no way to stop the sound once it starts other than to wait until it is finished). The plastic parts are slightly bendable so we have not yet had a part snap off and break. My only complaint is that the stages break apart too easily, especially when the rocket is turned horizontal, and it is a bit difficult for my son to put it back together again. Despite this, he is still playing with it regularly three months after receiving it as a gift: high praise from a five-year-old.

The saturn v rocket looks great and my 4y old son loves it. However, it is very poorly designed: the different stages are very hard to separate or put together even for an able adult, and at the same time the service module attachment to the 3rd stage is very FRAGILE. Needs to be redesigned.

My just-turned six-year-old opened the package and played with it for four hours! His one-year-old little brother also loves the count down and take off.

A surprising amount of accurate detail in this toy--all of the various separations and rendezvouses in a Saturn V flight to the moon can be re-enacted (and the included "Astronaut Training Manual" explains to kids how and when each one happens): the escape tower can fall away, the third stage opens up to reveal the lunar lander (also in two parts, only one of which returns to the command module, the hatch opens on the capsule, and so on. Fun for kids, but my almost five year old needs constant assistance to make the various parts separate, open and so forth.

As several other reviewers have noted, however, it is almost impossible to separate the first and the second stages without making everything else fall apart. The third stage opens with an easy twist ring that any age can master--why not have the same for the first two stages? I took a razor blade to the raised ridges that grip the stages and scraped one on each stage down half a millimeter or so--that's helped a lot, but the pieces still fly apart about half the time. Needless to say, it's tough for a little kid to even put the stages together, let alone re-enact the launches. Still, we have fun with it.

Just as a note, the name "Buzz Aldrin" does not appear anywhere on the item, the packaging, or the instructions--I don't know why it appears on Amazon's web site.

You got to give them credit for the level of detail. It is awesome and makes it worth the price. It's just to bad they did not put as much thought into the design. I bought is for my 4 year old. I takes everything I got to take it about and put back together. A screw together rather than snake would have been ideal. The thing goes to pieces everytime we take about the different stages. However, over all a very cool toy that my some loves.

This is a wonderful model of the Saturn V rocket! My son got it for Christmas, and it is his absolute favorite toy. It is very durable, and each part of the rocket is represented. The stages come apart, and the command module and lunar lander look just like the real thing! It even has a count-down and blast-off noises that are very realistic. If you have a budding astronaut, I highly recommend this toy!

It is the best toy of its kindiand it was easy to use it's great for all space fanatics thoose reasons and many more make it THE BEST!!!

I'm a 10 year old boy who got this rocket when I was 9. First of all, I've read many of the reviews and here are my opinions. Do not get this rocket if your child is under 6, it is not made for them. I think this rocket is perfect for kids over 6 because it is very educational and if you handle it right you won't break it. Some of the great features of this rocket are that it is SUPPOSE to break apart and that adds to the fun of it. Also, there is a book that tells you how the rocket works, a launch pad, and a piece of the moon for the lunar module to land on. Overall if you are interested in space and NASA consider getting this rocket. I have had it for 1.5 years and it is STILL alot of fun to play with and everything still works on it!

We purchased this for our 4 year old son this past Christmas and were extremely thrilled with it for the first 10 minutes. Since then, we have found it is nearly impossible to keep together and parts on it continue to break. As such, our son just leaves it setup and looks at it, hoping one day it will be "fixed"...

Pros:
1. Very detailed
2. Has sound of takeoff and vibrates (kind of rumbly)
3. We love the fact that the different stages separate to have a realistic mission.

Cons:
1. Fin on the lowest rocket stage broke off within a few minutes of play. We have glued it back now twice and it is now missing again.
2. The capsule at the top separates into two pieces very easily, despite it being screwed together. We have had to glue it together "sealing" the astronauts inside.
3. The very top of the rocket has four "doors" that open/close by turning the black ring just below them. These doors will not stay closed tight enough to hold the rest of the rocket together above it, they easily come off, and we have one that has broken and will not stay attached.
4. The very top piece of the rocket does not stay attached to the piece below it at all.

Please understand that it is not our sons young age causing these problems. He always asks his mother or I to help him play with this. He was soo excited when he got it. However, this is not so much a toy, as it is a model to be used for educational purposes. I would recommend this for a science teacher who wants a realistic model they can use for demonstration purposes. As for giving it to a child for play value at any age, I would NOT recommend it since it can so easily break and fall apart.

I WILL be contacting the manufacturer to let them know of our experience. Caveat emptor.

Normally, I would be suspicious of anything with the word "ultimate" in its name, but the Buzz Aldrin Ultimate Saturn V Rocket is indeed that--and more. Assembly of this toy was minimal (the ultimate plus), and its size was impressive (about three feet high). Best of all, it included authentic count-down and take-off sounds.

If you are looking for the "ultimate" in space play, this toy is one that will exceed expectations.