It doesn't really get my engine revving. This is a quick/in-depth review of the 86-piece LEGO 60442 F1 Driver with McLaren Race Car set from the City line, retailing for $14.99.
TL;DR:
- Original Price: $14.99 via BrickEconomy
- Pieces: 86
- Minifigure(s): McLaren Formula 1 Driver
- Sticker Sheet: No
- Pros: good minifig-scale rendition
- Cons: questionable build techniques
Assembly:
Leftover Pieces
Interesting Pieces:
- The new 1x2 oval dashboard tile looks good (and is reversible, as the BrickLink description—'89' / '68'— would indicate); it was created for this and other F1 sets.
- The 2x2 round wheel inset tile is also a nice little print, and could easily be used for Tron-style memory disks, or other glowy sci-fi details. So far it is only available in this set.
Pain Points:
- The black hose needs to be bent to fit around the cockpit: to prevent kinking it, you actually have to work it slowly, bending it incrementally with gentle pressure along its length, much like if you were an old blacksmith working metal.
- While its implementation looks ok, the tension of the bent hose also puts strain on the clips holding it in place; indeed, the clips are the only thing holding it in place, so they take the full brunt of its desire to return to straightness. This, to me, is the definition of an illegal technique: one that puts stress on the LEGO parts in question.
- It should also be noted that the driver's seat has four studs. Usually a 2x2 with two studs on one edge (a "square 2-stud jumper plate) will be used in a situation like this. I understand why, since the need for a low-profile build results in the driver sitting right on the plate in the middle of the 2x6 Technic brick's middle plate. However, this results in a driver that's so secured to his seat that I had to remove the side pieces just to un-stick him.
My Modifications:
- Having the wheel insert tiles slot into the tires' hubs is a neat solution, but also makes it nearly impossible to remove them afterwards. I found that using a brick separator as shown in this picture makes it easier to remove the wheel tile.
• Overall: It's not for me.
There's no denying that this race car looks good for a minifig-scale version of the real thing, but the use of several questionable build techniques and less-than-optimal choices definitely resulted in a lower Process score. It also loses Play points because it can only roll forwards and back. The Price score loses points too; while $15 seems like a pretty good deal for a F1 racer, there's a lot of large pieces, resulting in a price per-part of $0.17, which is as high as some licensed sets. If you ever wanted to race a Formula 1 car down the streets of your LEGO Modular city, this is the set for you; likewise if going "vroom vroom" is your jam. As for me, I'll be parting it out, maybe to use its parts in a sci-fi building.
Score (out of 5 🧱):
- Price: 🧱🧱🧱
- Process: 🧱🧱
- Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱
- Play: 🧱🧱
- Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱
- Total: 🧱🧱🧱
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