Blog — Bricks for Bricks

Technic

LEGO® House: History Collection

The LEGO® House has some fun stairs that you can take up or down. I like how the walls look like they could be made of large size plastic bricks. If you go down, you go to the History Collection. In this post I hope to take you through my experience there. I took a lot of pictures, but still did not capture the whole thing. With 2 kiddos, I wasn’t able to stay and read everything, but I still had a good amount of time to see it all. So let’s go!

(Note: you can take an elevator too. This is especially good if you have a stroller or a little person who is slow on stairs.)

stairs.jpg

The History Collection is not as bright and colorful as the rest of the House. The walls are black as if you are underground. When you get downstairs, there is a glass covered area in the floor. The area is full of gray 2x4 bricks and some old brick molds. A sign explains how they used to put the old molds underneath new buildings so they couldn’t be used by a competitor. You can read the sign that explains it in the picture. We also thought it was fun that there was a brick built mole digging around in the basement.

bricks_molds.JPG

From the room with the molds in the floor, you can see a brightly lit LEGO® logo. I took a few pictures so you can see it as you get up close. It’s pretty awesome.

And another mole hanging out…

hallway.jpg
close_up_sign.jpg
moles.jpg
closer_sign.jpg

The tour goes through a hallway in a square. You turn left and you start to learn about the very initial states of the LEGO® Company. It talks about the founding family and you can see some of the early non-plastic toys. It’s impressive that they still have some of the very old toys and first brick sets around.

early.jpg
original_bricks.jpg
bricks_sets.JPG
duck.jpg
vehicles.JPG

As you continue to make your way around the History Collection, there are more modern bricks to include some sets or sets mixed in with MOCs.

#10184-1: Town Plan - This was the 50th anniversary set from LEGO®

#10184-1: Town Plan - This was the 50th anniversary set from LEGO®

The factories don’t look like this anymore.

The factories don’t look like this anymore.

Is this an official set?

Is this an official set?

The origins of the train line

The origins of the train line

I’m not sure if the train is an official set or a MOC.

I’m not sure if the train is an official set or a MOC.

As you continue on, you see more of the modern sets that we’re used to seeing. It was definitely a walk down memory lane to see some of the older items that I still have. And some of the things I always wanted as a kid… like the whole Classic Space line.

bricks.JPG
The Classic Space monorail

The Classic Space monorail

The origins of the minifigure

The origins of the minifigure

The castle theme and 9V town sets (I have the police car and fire engine and they still work)

The castle theme and 9V town sets (I have the police car and fire engine and they still work)

bricks.jpg

Throughout the LEGO® House are benches. Many of the benches have parts to build with, minifigure parts, or in this picture, DUPLO®. My youngest kiddo enjoyed the History Collection because there were tons of cars, trains, and planes, but it was good to know we had another distraction if needed to occupy him in the “boring” museum portion.

After you finish walking around the square, you can enter into the space inside the square. This area has a collection of many of the old sets by time period. I failed to get a picture or write it down, but I think it is by decade (please correct me if I’m wrong). Definitely a walk down memory lane for me. “I have that one!” “I always wanted that one!” “Wow! I’ve never actually seen that one.”

Sorry for the reflections on the glass covering the windows in my pictures.

Some of the very first sets.

Some of the very first sets.

More castle and Classic Space in there.

More castle and Classic Space in there.

Duplo®, Pirates, Blacktron, and more!

Duplo®, Pirates, Blacktron, and more!

Here’s a shot of what the wall looks like with the various sets.

Here’s a shot of what the wall looks like with the various sets.

Classic space, early CITY/Town, Castle

Classic space, early CITY/Town, Castle

Technic, Space Police, Pirates, and more!

Technic, Space Police, Pirates, and more!

Can they bring back Classic Space and Castle please?

Can they bring back Classic Space and Castle please?

Some Technic sets in the center of the room.

Some Technic sets in the center of the room.

The center of the room had the Technic display that I showed and then these trains. Please re-release the Super Chief and the BNSF diesel!

Also in the center of the room was a computer screen where you could go through each of the sets from every year and add them to your digital collection. When you are finished, the collection is loaded into your file that is attached to the wrist band. We did not build our digital collection. I’m not sure I could even remember it all. A cool idea though.

trains1.jpg
trains2.jpg

If you are an AFOL, definitely make some time to check out the History Collection. I regret that I didn’t get to read everything about the company, but I was glad that I got to see what I did. It’s not the best place for kids. My 5-year old got bored pretty quick and wanted to go back upstairs to do all of the fun stuff.

It will be curious to see how the History Collection changes over the years. How will they add another decade of sets in?

My next post will be about the Star Wars™ 20th anniversary display which was located with the History Collection.

Set Review - #42083-1 - Bugatti Chiron - Technic - PART 2

If you missed Part 1, you can see it here. If you want to see what a real Bugatti Chiron looks like or what the factory looks like, you can see that here. If you want to see more about the set, keep reading…

Instruction Book 2 is 322 pages long. It starts off with the set of bags numbered 7 in build box 3. This section of the build is labeled rear body work and deck lid. With Book 1 being the internals, Book 2 focuses on the externals. The bags numbered 7 include the construction of the rear spoiler and then a lot of the body for the back to include the portion around the engine and part of the top of the passenger compartment. Number 8 completes a lot of the detail in the rear to include the cool looking brake lights. There are also a number of stickers that go here. I am not a fan of stickers, but I realize LEGO has to do a price balance between printed pieces and sticker sheets. The cost of the sticker sheet probably helped save a few dollars on an already expensive set. I’m not the best at sticker placement, but it looks okay.

42083_bag7.jpg
42083_bag8.jpg

Bags 9 and 10 are labeled the seats and interior on page 108 and start off box four. The seats are Technic built with some System pieces for added detail. As the build went on, I realized that there were more and more System pieces used. I’m not a good builder/designer to begin with, but I’m impressed at the ability to combine the 2 types of pieces into one set and to have it go seamlessly like they did. Bag 9 is the seats and some more of the outer paneling. Bag 10 is the dashboard, steering wheel, glove compartment, and a bunch more stickers.

42083_bag9.jpg
42083_bag10.jpg

Bags 11 and 12 start on page 200. This section is labeled front body, lights, and horseshoe grill. Bag 11 is mainly the doors, but there are a few details to build up the front of the car. Bag 12 is the details on the front to include the front hood (and storage area), the bumper, the grill design, and the lights. There are a lot of System pieces used in the front to include the bumper and lights. The detailing is pretty impressive between the Technic and System pieces. It still has the Technic look without windows and with the various spots for pin attachments, but it still captures the sleek look of the actual car.

42083_bag11.jpg
42083_bag12.jpg

Bag 13 finishes everything up with the final details, the key to raise and lower the spoiler, and much like the Porsche (#42056-1) a handbag to stick in the trunk. It completes a few details to include a lot of the long, thin tubes that help create some of the contours on the car. The instructions for bag 13 also include the wheels and rims. The rims have a 1x1 round tile with the Bugatti logo on them and thankfully that was not a sticker. You even get an extra one (not sure what I’ll do with it).

The end of the instructions give you a link to go to and put in the code on the 1x4 tile that identifies your car. Similar to #42056-1, they have some free content. I have yet to go and see what it is, but #42056-1 had some cool graphics, a certificate of ownership, and some high resolution photos of the vehicle as well. If I ever have my own brick cave someday, maybe I’ll have to print a few of these up.

Here’s a top view of the car and then a view of the front with the hood open and the bag sitting next to it. The bag is made of all System pieces versus the Technic style bag of #42056-1.

42083_top.jpg
42083_hood.jpg

Here is a good look at the front to include the horseshoe grill and the lights. Also a view inside the car by the driver’s seat. With my smartphone and poor lighting, you can’t see all the details, but you can see the main details: steering wheel, dashboard with various dials, paddle shifters, and shifter.

42083_front.jpg
42083_inside.jpg

Finally, here’s the back. After seeing the real car, I think the designers did a great job getting it accurate. The first picture is with the spoiler down and the second is with it up and the key still in. The key goes into a small hole behind the driver’s side rear tire. I have yet to be able to do it without peering in to try and find it. The design is impressive as it locks in the up position as well.

42083_back1.jpg
42083_back2.jpg

So the final verdict… I had a blast building it. The design is sleek and very sturdy. It’s very impressive. Unfortunately it is very expensive! I used a gift certificate, but even with that it was still high. I hit a double VIP point day so that helped some, but yikes. LEGO keeps testing the boundaries on price and it’ll be interesting to see where they finally break their fan base. While it’s a great set and I hope LEGO continues this series, I would like to see the price go back to under $300 similar to #42056-1.

What are your thoughts on this one? Too expensive? Priced right for the build?

Happy building!

42083_final.jpg

The Bugatti Chiron in the Wild...

In case you didn’t see my last post, I’m in the process of building the LEGO Technic #42083-1 Bugatti Chiron. With that being said, I was walking down the street last week and a car caught my eye. It looked very familiar to a Bugatti Chiron, but I figured it couldn’t be. Most people don’t just park their $2.5M+ car right there on the street. I had to go over and take a look.

Chiron1.jpg

Okay, maybe I should be a little more specific. If you’ve read the blog, you know that my non-Lego job has taken me to Germany so I had to shut down sales. Living in Europe, my family has done some traveling and recently we took a couple days to go to the Alsace region of France. While there, we stopped in Strasbourg for the Christmas Market (if you’re an American and you celebrate Christmas and you have never been to a true European Christmas Market, they are pretty cool). Strasbourg happens to be near Molsheim, France (about 20 minutes away) and Molsheim is where the Bugatti factory is located.

Back to the car… no it wasn’t just sitting there. It was in a glass enclosed case and there was a security guard outside as well. None the less, it was still the real deal. I never thought I would see a Bugatti Chiron up close and personal or at least as close as the glass would let me. I talked to our host at the B&B we stayed at and he said Bugatti factory tours are only available for car buyers and friends of workers. Good luck getting to see inside the factory.

Back to the car… Next to the car was a sign.

Chiron_sign.jpg

The sign is in French on the left, German in the middle, and English on the right. In case you can’t read the picture I posted, it reads:

“We are proud of our company roots in Molsheim, about 25 km away from Strasbourg,
where our headquarters are still today.

In 1909 Ettore Bugatti founded our company here in Alsace, and to this day Bugatti
represents the pinnacle of the automotive world.

Like the Strasbourg Christmas market we combine tradition with a clear vision.

All qualities and know-how of our company accumulated in 110 years of our existence are
contained in each and every one of the only 500 BUGATTI CHIRON going to be built..”

The sign then gives some of the stats on the vehicle.

Engine:
-8 Litre 16-Cylinder-engine
-4 turbochargers with Bugatti 2-stage turbocharging

Power:
1,500 HP (6,700 U/min)

Torque:
1,600 Nm (2,000 - 6,000 U/min)

Acceleration:
0 - 100km/h 2.4 sec (that’s roughly 0 to 60 mph)
0 - 400 km/h 32.6 sec (that’s roughly 0 to ~250 mph)

Vmax:
420 hm/h (electronically limited) (or around 260 mph)

Enough blabbing, here are a few more pics of the car. The front was white and the back was a navy blue or darker blue type color. The blue color looks similar to the blue of the LEGO version.

Chron_2.jpg
Chiron4.jpg
Chiron6.jpg
Chiron3.jpg
Chiron5.jpg

So I wouldn’t be interested in this vehicle if it weren’t for the LEGO version. I’m not a gear head, but I’m a huge fan now that I have a LEGO version and was super excited to actually see one of these.

But that’s not all…

If you purchased the set you saw this picture in the instruction manual.

42083_instructions.jpg

It’s a picture of the actual car and the LEGO version with an offset in front of the Château St. Jean in Molsheim, France.

On our drive home from the Strasbourg area, I was conversing with my Non-LEGO Spouse (NLS) and talking about Bugatti and how the plant was nearby somewhere. Using the power of the internet she looked it up and told me it was about 2 minutes away. So we came upon a traffic circle, I went straight instead of turning and…

Chateau_St_Jean.jpg

Tah-dah! Okay, we had to take a few passes to get the picture just so, but thankfully it was a Sunday and there wasn’t a lot of traffic. So there’s the full building. Just no cars in front.

Here’s a sign near the Château.

Bugatti_sign1.jpg

We figured the factory had to be close by and sure enough it was. We hit a traffic circle and took a different exit and saw the factory. It’s not very big although if you’re only building 500 of a vehicle and you probably take your time building it, you don’t need a big facility. We didn’t take pictures of the signs in French telling us it was private property and to not trespass. We just took our pictures and turned around. My NLS questioned why the workers didn’t have better cars. My guess is the employee discount doesn’t take much off the $2.5M price tag.

Bugatti_sign2.jpg
Bugatti_factory2.jpg

Hope you enjoyed some additional info on the Bugatti Chiron. I don’t think I’ve seen a set review or LEGO blog yet that showed pictures of the actual car or the factory. I’ll claim to be the first to include pictures of both in a LEGO review.

Happy building!

Set Review - #42083-1 - Bugatti Chiron - TECHNIC - PART 1

My guess is most people who are into LEGO and reading this blog are not able to throw down $2.5 million for a Bugatti Chiron, but thankfully LEGO came to our rescue and built a much cheaper version. Following the 2016 release of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS on the LEGO Technic line, LEGO released the Bugatti Chiron on 2 June 2018. Retail price in the US is $349.99 or $0.097 per piece. Opportunities for sales were limited on the Porsche. It just retired and I saw it on Amazon.com for 20% off for less than a day. Using VIP points to get a discount is one of the best ways to pay less for this set at this point. While it’s not $2.5M, $350 is kind of hefty for the LEGO world.

This set came with a lot of fanfare from LEGO. The lead up to its release included a number of teaser videos and trailers along with a countdown clock. After it was finally released, the videos didn’t stop. Here are a few you might want to check out if you didn’t get to see them:

LEGO builds a full scale Bugatti Chiron

LEGO shows off the build and its functions

Kicking off the review, the Bugatti Chiron is shipped in its own box inside of a box when you order it from Shop @ Home. While this method is probably more costly, I like that when you spend a bit of money, they take the time to make sure your set arrives in good condition. From the label on the box, my version was manufactured in October 2018 in Mexico. I ordered it during the double VIP points weekend in October 2018 so not bad timing for LEGO’s supply chain.

42083_shipping.jpg
42083_image_tag.jpg

The set box itself is very flashy with a front view of the car on the top of the box and a back few of the car on the bottom with a few detailed pictures on the bottom as well.

42083_boxfront.jpg
42083_boxback.jpg

Similar to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (#42056-1), When you open the box up, there are parts boxes. Unlike the Porsche set, this one has the boxes and instruction booklet creating a picture of the car. Props to the designers on this one. There are 6 parts boxes, 2 instruction booklets, and a sticker sheet. Each box is numbered. The instruction books show what box of parts you are on based on what page you are on. It does not list what parts bag set you are on though so if you’re like me and you build in spurts, you have to search for where you left off. Book 1 is 305 pages long. It includes some snazzy pictures of the LEGO design and of the actual car model. It also mentions that there is a podcast you can listen to while building the set. I did not do that so if anyone else did, let me know what you thought of it.

42083_box_inside.jpg
42083_contents1.jpg

Book 1, box 1 starts off with page 21 that says you will be building the engine and gearbox first. pages 22 and 23 show where you’ll be when finished with that section and there is a picture of what I presume is an engine and gearbox in the background. I won’t go too much into the details of the build other than to say when you’re used to building the LEGO System pieces and the last Technic build you did was over 2 years ago, it is a bit of a challenge (for me). I’ve definitely had to take my time as I’m not used to looking at instructions with the various Technic pieces.

Below are pictures of where you are at the end of each build. So all of the bags numbered 1, then numbered 2, and so on.

42083_bag1.jpg
42083_bag2.jpg

Here are bag sets 3 and 4. Number 3 finishes off the engine in the back of the car. It’s a very impressive design job too! They fit a lot in a small space. Number 4 starts on the front of the car to include the steering column.

42083_bag3.jpg
42083_bag4.jpg

On page 138 is labeled “The Marriage Process.” The book mentions that this is the way that the actual Chiron is built in that the front and back are assembled and then they join the two together. This section starts with set of bags number 4, the marriage process actually happens in number 6. Bags labeled #5 finish up the front of the car and some of the frame. I included my build and the picture on pages 140 and 141 of the set designer (Aurélien Rouffiange) merging the 2 sections of the build. Hopefully I built mine correctly.

42083_bag5.jpg
42083_bag6.jpg

I spent 5 posts on the Porsche (#42056-1) and I thought it was a bit much. My goal for this one is to give a quick overview instead of making you go through 5 pages of how great the build was.

With book one being complete, I figured it was a good time to post where I’m at. So far, I’m very impressed by the Bugatti Chiron. LEGO raised the bar with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and they did it again with the Chiron. The box design and layout are impressive, the details inside the instruction book about the car and the set are cool, having the option to listen to a podcast about the project is an added bonus, and in general the build is very impressive in terms of functionality and matching what the actual car is like. While I had a gift card and purchased during a double VIP point period, at this point I say that it was a good purchase. It has definitely been worth my time and the funds I spent.

Stay turned for part 2

Set Review - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - #42056 - Technic - Part 5

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

I finished!  WOOHOO!  Let me tell you, it was a great build.  It took me about 3 weeks too.  Some days I put more time in then others and some days I wasn't able to build at all.  I'm glad to have a space where I can leave things out right now.  Onto the finale!

Here's the box for #4, the construction before the build starts, and the start of the instruction booklet.  

final_box.jpg

Box 4 comes with 4 parts bags.

box4_porsche.jpg

The build starts with the driver's side in the front with the bumper, turn signals, headlights, body around the wheel, and door.  

Porsche_door.jpg

Finalizing the door is next to include the driver's side mirror and the door handle.

porsche_door.jpg

Next up is the rear of the car.  You complete the engine cover and distinctive tail fin.  I show one picture with the trunk open and one with it closed.

porsche_back.jpg
 
porsche847.jpg
porsche_trunk_open.jpg

To the left is the build at step 847.  It's pretty much done.  I'm not sure what the flexible, rubber like pieces are called, but they are added in to help create some of the curves.  You can see a bunch by the hood, around the windshield, and then running to the back.  

After you finish the back, you keep rotating the car and move around to complete the passenger side door, wheel cover, and headlight.  

The next step is to add the rims and wheels.  The wheels come in a separate box.  They are inside the box and the rims are on the top of the box.

wheels.jpg

Here are some final pictures...

final_porsche.jpg
final_porsche3.jpg
final_porsche5.jpg
final_porsche7.jpg
final_porsche2.jpg
final_porsche4.jpg
final_porsche6.jpg
 

At the back of the instruction booklet, it says you get get a free gift by entering your vehicle code at LEGO.com/technic.  Well that's not true.  You need to go to http://www.lego.com/en-us/technic/codebreaker.  If you're wondering what it is, you get a digital certificate that says you have a set and then a bunch of high resolution photos that can be used as wallpaper for your phone or computer (or printed I guess).  They are pretty sharp and hey, it's something else that you get for buying the set.  

Also if you go to the LEGO.com/technic web site, they have a bunch of promo videos along with a video about them packaging the set in one of their factories.  Again, nothing fancy, but interesting to see where your set came from.  

Final words... if you've read this far and through all 5 parts, then thank you.  Please leave feedback or email me with your thoughts... should I make these much shorter and to the point or is it better to see all of the details?  Anyways, back to the set...  If you can't tell, I think this set is awesome!  The build was incredible, the final set design is sleek, and to be honest, I have never build a LEGO® set like this.  I'm really impressed with how this turned out from the start with packaging and design to the finish in having the final product.  Well done LEGO®!!!!!

Set Review - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - #42056 - Technic - Part 4

View Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 5

Before I start this one, just a quick note.  For those of you who follow the blog, I recently moved from NM to FL.  My FL home is slightly bigger and my NLS agreed to designate some space for building activities.  I purchased 2 metal shelves for storage and placed a wood board on top for building.  Now I have a standing desk where I can build at.  Also you'll note that some pictures are at night with a light on and some are during the day.  I don't have a light box yet.  I'm working on it.  So I apologize up front that the pictures aren't all the same.

Box 3 of this set is assembling more of the body to include the rear, the hood and the roof.  This one starts in the instruction booklet at #532.  Before we start, here is box 3 with a picture of the hood on the box and in the instructions.  I also included the build at the end of box 2.

porschebox3.jpg

Next up are the contents.  It only has 4 bags of parts and it uses some of the parts from the bag included in box 1.

box3contents.jpg

Some pictures of the build...  First off is some work on the back of the vehicle.

box3build1.jpg

Next up is more work on the back.  The break light and turn signals are there along with the bumper and a GT3RS sticker.

box3build2.jpg

The top of the car is shown with the back here.  

box3final1.jpg

Another view of the back just so you can see more detail.  This one is of the passenger side in the back. 

box3final2.jpg

Here's a view from the front so you can see the hood.  Still need a lot more detail here, but I think that'll all be in the next box.

box3final3.jpg

A top shot of the whole set at the end of box 3.

box3final4

Back to building!!!!!

Set Review - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - #42056 - Technic - Part 3

View Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 4 - Part 5

If you can't tell, I'm taking my time putting this set together.  To be fair, if I sat down to crank it out, it would take a day or two non-stop.  So let's get right to it...

Box2.jpg

Box 2 is the body of the car.  The instruction book talks about how during the building of an actual 911 GT3 RS, they have a stage where the "drivetrain is connected to the body of the car."  This section starts at instruction number 324.

box2contents.jpg

Box 2 contains 9 parts bags which are shown here.  

box2build1.jpg

Here's the build at instruction 349.  This is the body at the front of the car.

box2build2.jpg

Here is instruction step number 403 with the front together and then the start of the driver's side.

box2build3.jpg

Here's #454.  Front and sides are done and working on the back.  You can see some of the red pins that are not pressed in all the way throughout the model.  While building I was wondering what they were for, but they ended up being the way to attached the body to the drivetrain.  There were a few steps where all you had to do was just push in red pins.  

box2build5.jpg

#483... almost done with this section.

build2final.jpg

Here is the final of this section with the body attached to the drive train.  The seats and roll bar are in place now.  

build2final.jpg

Just another shot from the front.  Okay, enough already... time to get back to building more.  Happy building!

Set Review - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - #42056 - Technic - Part 2

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

In case you missed it, I purchased the LEGO® Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS (#42056).  In my last post, I showed the awesome packaging design.  Now it's time to get into the build.  

Porsche_contents.jpg

Box 1 is the largest parts box in the set.  It contains 11 parts bags.  One of them is some of the orange outer covering pieces to the car that isn't used in the instructions for box one (so if you purchased one of these, don't open that bag right away).  This set doesn't include a piece separator like many of the brick based sets do, but if you're like me, you have a bunch of extras to use if required.  Also, the instruction booklet gives a brief explanation of what you'll be building along with a picture of the engine on the box.

Porsche_openparts1.jpg

The picture above is all of the open parts packs.  To be honest I haven't built a Technic set in probably over 20 years.  Even then the last one was much smaller.  This one is monstrous and it was an adjustment for me to not be looking for bricks or plates.  Instead it was looking for pins, axles, or how many pin holes a part has.  I'm not saying it was a bad thing... it was just something I'm not used to when building.

porschebuild1.jpg

Here it is at step 92.  For those of you keeping track, box 1 has 323 steps.  You can see the start of the transmission, the floor of the seating area and lots of gears.  

porschebuild2.jpg

Here's instruction #203 (above).  Whew!  I'm starting to work on the front end to include where the front wheels go as well as the steering mechanics.  If you're really sharp you can pick out the building error that I made and didn't catch until the end (whoops!).  Also, they may be hard to pick out in this picture, but there are some stickers in this set.  There is one on what will be the dashboard and the Porsche logo is on the steering wheel.  I'm not a fan of stickers, but these seems to fit in okay.  The stickers aren't huge and are pretty easy to apply.

porschebuild3.jpg

The steering column is in process here.  If you've built the set, you can see where my mistake came in.  

porschebuild4.jpg

Not too much to point out in this picture other than if you can see where there passenger sits, there is a white 1x4 tile.  Each set has its own printed identification tag on it.  I had heard about this prior to getting the set and I assumed it was a sticker, but was shocked to see it was a printed tile.  Definitely an awesome touch to the set!

porschebuild4.jpg

All for attachments for the wheels are in along with the axles for the wheels.  

porschebox1final.jpg

Finally we get to the end of box one and 323 steps later.  It's been a great build so far.  I didn't keep track, but I probably spent about 8 hours on the build (not all at once)  As mentioned, I'm not as familiar with Technic builds so it's been a real challenge for me.  I have made a number of mistakes by either building too fast or mistaking where a part was supposed to go.  I had a number of instances occur where I had to figure out how to tear it apart to make the fix without tearing the entire set apart from scratch.  

My opinion so far... Wow!  I'm impressed to see the number of details and the functionality.  The steering column, shocks on the wheels, transmission, engine with pistons... it's all pretty impressive.  I'm excited to get into the next box and to make this set become a final reality.  Stay tuned for more.  

Set Review - Porsche 911 GT3 RS - #42056 - Technic - Part 1

Dear LEGO® Company,
     I saw a number of blog postings online about the Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS.  I was intrigued and then after seeing the set designer video I think I was sold.  But the $299.99 price scared me away some.  I wasn't sure that I was ready to pay that much for a set.  After seeing it at one of your stores, I was sold.  Thankfully I had a bunch of VIP points and got a nice discount.

openbox.jpg

Opening this set was pretty exciting.  After seeing the care that was taken to package it up I took the plunge and carefully opened the box.  The Porsche set was smartly placed inside the box with extra padding on the side to make sure it didn't shift around during shipping.  The top of the box looks very dignified.  The sleek picture of the car, the Porsche logo and then some of the standard LEGO® set info like that it contains 2,704 pieces.  Let me tell you, my NLS is a communications designer and even she was impressed.  Trust me, that means a lot coming from her.   

box_top_inside.jpg
 
 

After opening the box, once again I was blown away.  It wasn't plastic bags thrown into a box with an instruction booklet packed in.  Your designers really took the time to place together a high class product.  Numbered boxes, an instruction booklet that contains history of the actual vehicle and the LEGO® vehicle design, and the impressive layout of the rims in the box.  All very well done!

Porsche_contents.jpg
box.jpg

I opened the large box that FedEx dropped off and found another box as well as set 40220 - London Bus.  The other box and packaging material smashed the London Bus set up quite a bit.  Please train your team better on packaging.  The second box impressed me.  Given the price of the set, seeing the separate packaging and warning to not use a razor to dive into the box showed that you understand folks pay a lot for this set.

Porschebox.jpg
Porsche_opened.jpg

The details on the box for this set are also incredible.  I won't spoil it for others with tons of pictures, but the sides of the box have the different sides of the vehicle.  The inside of the box top has a timeline of Porsche designs.  In my non-designer opinion, this packaging rivals Apple's product packaging.  Who did you hire to do this work?

Porsche_opened.jpg

The contents are like no other set I have built.  The elements are in numbered containers with pictures of the set on them.  They look like mini-sets on their own.  There are stickers again which I am not a fan of, but at least it is not a ton of them. The 856 steps in the instruction booklet that looks nicer than my manual to my car (granted I don't drive a Porsche... maybe those are nicer).  The rims are displayed in the box they come in and then the wheels are inside the box with the rims on the outside.  All I can say is that I am super excited to get building on this set.  It's been nothing but amazing so far and I haven't even opened any bags of parts.  Well done LEGO®!!!!