New McLaren MP4/4 Ayrton Senna Lego Set Is the Coolest We’ve Seen in a While
So much for my New Year’s resolution of not buying any more Lego sets.
I'm a big Lego guy. So much so that after building my last two sets—a Land Rover Classic Defender and McLaren Formula 1 car—I had to admit that I just didn't have any room for new ones. This decision was made somewhat easier because a lot of recent car releases simply haven't looked or felt very good. All of this—and I mean all of this—went out the window today when I found out Lego is releasing a McLaren MP4/4 Ayrton Senna set on March 1.
Secretly I'd been hoping for something like the McLaren Formula 1 Technic set, but of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes or Max Verstappen's Red Bull instead. As it happens, we're also getting that 1:8-scale Hamilton set, which is welcome news. But this McLaren and Senna item is a bigger surprise, and pretty much hits peak desirability for me. Do I wish it was a Technic kit and not another addition to the slightly wonky Icons series? Yes, but frankly, I never expected to see a Senna Lego figurine, so I'm pretty happy nonetheless.
Scheduled to go on sale March 1st, the set is titled "McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna." As I mentioned above, set #10330 is part of the Icons series, which also includes the Eiffel Tower, Classic Defender, Porsche 911, Concorde, Titanic, Corvette, Vespa, and more. It consists of 693 pieces and is rated for 18+, but my 12-year-old daughter could put this together in a single night.
Looking at the set closely, most of the important bits of the F1 car seem to be done relatively well. The MP4-4 has a pretty specific nose cone/front wing shape, and it appears that Lego mostly pulled it off. The upper part of the nose that leads into the cockpit is a bit more IndyCar than a period-correct F1 car, but it's acceptable. What Lego did nail down spectacularly is the flattened, pancake-like profile of these F1 cars from the late '80s and early '90s.
I love the "Powered by Honda" stickers as well as the Brazilian flag mementos built into the inner bits of the car. What I don't love so much is the tires, especially those rears. They're way too skinny and just look a bit off. In a nutshell, it's this lack of detail that I mostly dislike about the Icons series; they're not Technic sets but they're also not basic ones. They're in a Lego purgatory where some pieces look great and others look way off.
The Senna figurine, along with its cute (and properly done) little helmet is my absolute favorite part of the set. The stand is a nice touch, too, along with a plaque that reads: "No matter what your dream is, you have to dedicate yourself entirely to it." It reminds me a bit of when I visited the Senna memorial at Tamburello.
This set will set you back $80.00 and you can pre-order it starting today at Lego.com.
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