LAND ROVER have been in the business of producing automobiles for 75 years. Today the LEGO Group have officially revealed the latest ICONs set, the LAND ROVER CLASSIC DEFENDER Ninety.

In the Beginning, there was the Land Rover, first appearing in 1948, it was the go-to vehicle for the British Army, amongst others. Back in those days, there was the Land Rover 90, 110 and later 130, with a 90-inch, 110-inch and… 127-inch long wheel base respectively. The need to create Defender as a brand came after the introduction of the Land Rover Discovery in 1983. The Defender 90/ninety was introduced the following year. The car remained in production until 2016, when it was discontinued after 67 years and over 2.016 million units produced. In fact, the 2 millionth unit was auctioned off to raise funds for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Born Free Foundation.

Set 10317 LEGO ICONS Land Rover Classic Defender Ninety has 2336 pieces, and will be released on April 1st 2023. It will have a retail price of £209.99 / €239.99 / $239.99 / 369.99 AUD / 329.99 CAD, joining other classic cars in the Creator Expert/ Icons range. The model is around 16cm high and 32 cm long.

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Ignite the spirit of adventure with the new LEGO® Icons Classic Land Rover Defender 90. Launched as Land Rover celebrates its 75^th anniversary, the 2,336 piece set is based on the classic design of the Land Rover Defender from 1983 to 2016 and comes complete with all the accessories needed for an off-road adventure.

To celebrate the launch of the set, the LEGO Group placed a bright yellow classic Land Rover Defender in the Scottish Highlands and transformed it into the hardest to reach LEGO Store in the world.  In fact, it could only be reached via a gruelling off-road track and so the LEGO Group challenge two of the boldest adventurers to reach it. The ultimate challenge sees Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest and the Seven Summits and native Scottish adventurer and extreme locations expert, Aldo Kane, in a rigorous ascent to reach the remote LEGO Store, but to then also be the first to build the new set. But who will get there first?

The film shows the two traversing the terrains of the Scottish Highlands, navigating muddy tracks, bumpy roads and obstacles before racing to build the new 2,336 piece set in harsh weather conditions. One is a highly competitive daughter of the desert and regular LEGO builder, the other is on his home turf but embarking his first LEGO build in over 30 years. The challenge of adventure and play isn’t complete until the final brick clicks into place!

At the heart of the adventure is the LEGO Icons Classic Land Rover Defender 90 set, featuring the iconic Land Rover (name) green colour scheme. Faithfully replicating the classic Defender, the two-in-one format means brick and car fanatics alike can choose to build and display the everyday road-ready model before activating adventure mode and customising the build with accessories including the roof rack, engine snorkel, offroad front bumper and working winch, side rails, toolbox, a fire extinguisher, and traction plates for crossing mud and sand, and much more.  The Defender has racked up 75 years of all-terrain expeditions.  Instantly recognisable around the world, it has a unique record of adventure, humanitarian and hard work.

Kurt Kristiansen, LEGO Design Master commented: “Bringing the iconic Classic Land Rover Defender to brick life was no easy challenge. This prestigious car can take you anywhere, so during the design process we wanted to infuse the LEGO set with that sense of adventure. The two-in-one format means you can load up with all the necessary kit, whether you want to race through the Scottish like our adventurers Raha Moharrak and Aldo Kane, navigate water or even sandy dunes. We can’t wait to see fans reactions.”

Talking about her LEGO adventure, Raha Moharrak commented: “I was so excited when the LEGO Group asked me to be part of this campaign. I build at least one LEGO set each month so working with the two brands together has been an epic adventure. From getting to race across the Scottish Highlands in a classic Defender to trying to be the first to reach the hardest to reach LEGO store in the world and being one of the first to play with the new set, it really was a dream come true.”

Aldo Kane commented: “This was my first time building a LEGO set in years but I was pretty confident that I would have the driving aspects of the challenge down – after all, I grew up in the Highlands, so I had that to my advantage. Despite that, the rugged terrain and icy conditions did make it quite the adventure! I think my favourite part of the whole experience has been that Raha and I became friends through it all. That and playing with the new LEGO set – it’s pretty spectacular!”

The LEGO Icons Classic Land Rover Defender 90 set is available from 1st April 2023 via LEGO Stores and http://www.lego.com/Defender at the recommended retail price of £209.99/ €239.99 / $239.99

You can see the video here:

I was intrigued to see the number plate here: L316 HUE references the plate on the final Classic Defender 90 produced: H166 HUE (In itself a tribute to HUE 166, the very first to be produced, way back when.) I wonder if this model was, at one point, intended to be model 10316, rather than 10317 – and this might explain the number used here. (Of course, Rivendell is the set with that number)

This model comes with all the gear to show it ready for an offroad adventure, or they can be left aside, to show the standard version. I love the recovery gear on the bull-bar, as well as the red tool box, and shaped fuel cans

There is even a choice between a V8 Petrol and Diesel Engine:

I love the coloring of this set, with the sand green really hitting the mark for final model.

Lovers of Classic British Automobiles are sure to enjoy this build: While this is the Classic Defender 90, the42110 Technic Defender, based on the updated 2020 model was released in 2019, and retired at the end of 2022.

What do you think of this new model? A day 1 purchase? Another Great LEGO ICONS car? More affordable than Rivendell?

Leave your comments below, and until next time…

Play Well!