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Beside the age 16+ designation for the Shuttle Adventurer vs the 14+ age designation on the Shuttle Expedition and some different photography they look identical except they don't sell the Shuttle Adventurer anymore on shop.lego.com. Is there any practical difference?

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10231 has 26 more pieces and was released the next year. I'd have to look into what pieces they are. Perhaps it's something promotional? – Ambo100♦ Dec 14 '11 at 22:02
I wrote to the Lego Group about the differences and they sent me the pieces to retrofit my set. Sweet! Thanks Lego! – tooshel Jan 4 '12 at 16:42
@tooshel, that's pretty awesome. – tombull89 Jan 12 '12 at 12:35

2 Answers

up vote 11 down vote accepted

The LEGO Direct team's answer to this question is on brickset:

Since its release in 2010, 10213 Shuttle Adventure has proven to be very popular! Although the model was designed for a 16+ target audience, our consumer call center has brought to our intention that many younger children have been building and playing with the model. As a result, the Direct team has decided to look at the model once more to see what changes could be made in order to provide a better build and play experience for a slightly younger target audience. 10231 Shuttle Expedition may look similar to Shuttle Adventure in many ways, however its build is very different and offers several advantages.

  • The fuel tank has been reinforced with supports to strengthen the assembly
  • The landing gear is strengthened to function better across many different floor types
  • The Cargo doors can now be more rigorously opened and closed
  • The entire build has been reworked to limit opportunities for misplacing elements
  • Astronauts now have wigs in addition to their helmets (1 male, 1 female). Face prints are also different.
  • The new set now has 1,230 elements
  • New Satellite can be securely positioned on the new mechanical arm 10231 Shuttle
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Wow. Now I really do want to get the Shuttle Expedition just to see how different it is while the build is fresh in my mind. Alas, my Lego budget was blown on trains! Seems it'll be around for a while though. – tooshel Dec 14 '11 at 22:34
up vote 3 down vote

Acording to Bricklink:

This set contains 26 more pieces than the original release to correct stability issues.

Have a look at the inventory here.

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Bricklink is solid gold for this kind of info. I wonder what kind of stability issues? And why did it go from 16+ to 14+? And why different names? More questions than answers! – tooshel Dec 14 '11 at 22:25
Actually the lower age requirement was the driving force behind the change, and that's why the model was deemed not stable enough as it was. It was just stable enough for 16+, not 14+. Anyway, see Kramii's answer which is authoritative. – Joubarc♦ Dec 15 '11 at 18:29

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