When we last looked at the 42172 LEGO® Technic McLaren P1, we successfully unboxed a set for which the unboxing is regarded as an integral experience as the building and completed construction using the first box of construction elements.

While we still have another two boxes to build up, it is apparent that the most intense parts of the building process are now behind us: We have constructed a chassis with the engine, a 7-speed flappy paddle gearbox, rear wheels with independent suspension and a couple of seats. In fact, we are within Coo-ee* of the type of build that we had for a working car set back in the early days of Technic builds, when everything would be laid out on display for the proud builder to show off to their friends, family, and anyone who would stand still for more than 30 seconds in their presence, and foolhardy enough to ask “So, what have you been up to lately?” (For the benefit of non-australians, Coo-wee is what we are taught to call out when we are looking for someone who might be lost in the bush, but within hearing range.)

In fact, only the front wheels and the steering mechanism are all that currently stand between the end of box one and that endpoint that gave us those visible chassis sets from the early days of Technical Sets [8860 et al.].

The Story So Far:

If you have not read our previous article, looking at the unboxing and build experience in the first of three boxes, I suggest you go back and read that one first. when we left our build at the end of that article, it looked something like this:

But there is still a lot more to go: this is a full car, not just a chassis. What lies ahead? Are there any more traps in store that will catch us out, like the infamous gear shifting wheel back in step 191, in box five, that wasn’t discovered for another 90 steps and 50 pages, necessitating a subtle dismantling and rebuild?

Or will it be plain sailing?

Read on to Find out.

Box 2

1/ Door Mechanism and Sides

Bags 11-12 Steps 427-544

Having completed the first box, I took a breath, and took a couple of days off. The next section is spread out across 2 bags and involves a few black panels, a lot of black lift arms, a smattering of grey and bright yellowish orange, and a truck load of connector pins. The majority of these are 3 modules wide, especially blue pegs.

We start work on the sides of the vehicle, which will serve as part of the door opening/closure mechanism. It is not immediately apparent just how it will work at this stage – but we have a spring compressed under tension when you ‘click ‘ a rotating mechanism at the front edge of the car doors. I’m sure it will become more apparent later.

Of note, this section is symmetrical during construction, but I’ve only shown you the right hand side.

The final part of this section of the build starts work on the side walls behind the door: we start with the distinctive black air intakes behind the brighter orange panelling. I’m sure we will come back to fill the gap later.

As this gets built up, it becomes apparent to me that from here, we will spend as much time covering up the mechanisms that make this build interesting as we previously have, incorporating them into the build.

I stumbled occasionally in this section, but it was always apparent in a step or two where I had failed to correctly place parts in the build. Hopefully, no errors from here on will cause the same level of chaos as I found with the gearbox error.

This brings us to the end of the first instruction manual and also to step 544 out of 1000. This also implies that we are now halfway through the build itself. This is also the end of bag 12 out of 23. So… half way through the parts. I feel there are more larger elements per bag than we were seeing back in the early parts of the build.

2/Front Suspension and Steering

Bags 13-15 Steps 545-669

The steering and suspension are the last major mechanical components of the build. The elements include the front wheel hubs, as well as a few gears and frames. We have plenty of connectors in a variety of colours, and I am grateful that they are pretty well colour-coded by type and function. As well as the regular supply of lift arms, we have a few gears. There are some new panels in Flame Yellowish orange, as well as the wheel arches. The heavy-duty suspension and wishbone elements are also used during this phase of the build. Bag 15 includes plenty of black elements including curved panels and beams, plus a few in grey. It’s feeling like we are heading towards a very monochrome future, with bag 16 not looking much better. There are, however, a few system elements in play here too ,but we won’t actually see them until we start work on the front bonnet and headlights.

As Bag 14 begins, we immediately mount the steering/suspension unit in front of the dashboard unit.

From here, we attach the steering wheel: we need to be careful about the angle of the steering wheel relative to the gears in the block – if only so that the cross bars of the steering wheel are horizontal while the front wheels are in the neutral position. I found this virtually impossible.

On installing the steering wheel, we attach cowling for the dashboard, complete with a printed speedometer. At this point, NO STICKERS have appeared. Note the printed tile in the centre of the steering wheel.

We spend the rest of this section wrapping the steering mechanism in black and dark grey panels, to keep it hidden from the world. We use a couple of black flexible elements to form the base of the windscreen.

We finished up this part of the build by assembling the roof of the cabin. we start at the back, and work our way forward. There are a couple of neat little printed panels which capture the carbon fibre feel quite nicely. The front pillars are made using a new wishbone support, while a variety of panels come over the top.

3/Front Bonnet and Headlights

Bags16-18 Steps 670-776

We saw the contents of bag 16 above. Here are bags 17-18. As you can see, we start to see some significant contributions from the Bright yellowish orange panels

We start work on forming the shape of the front of the car. Below the curved bricks, is a grille: cheese grater slopes attached to a couple of 1×8 plates. Using the 1×8 plates allows a half module offset using the pins on the underside of the plate in the holes of in Technic half pins/studs. In step 694,I managed to get the alignment wrong . I only discovered this as I was completing the write up. Fortunately, while this is an an aesthetic error, it is not mission critical, and it did not interfere with any of the remaining build.

The curved slopes and tile above the cheese grater grille (…mmmm, grilled Grated Cheese) are mounted on a technic brick, pinned to the beam below

From here, we start work on the headlight assembly. While the headlights are formed using studs/round tiles, the surrounds are formed using white flexible rods, along with the tooth element. We start to build up the form of the front end using a combination of technic panels. Many of these are appearing in this bright yellowish orange for the first time.

The final phase of this part of the build involves constructing the bonnet. To be honest, I don’t think I fully appreciated just how complicated the build would be in the first instance. – We start at the front end with a small panel (make sure its the one with the McLaren logo) and build the structure up from there.

After completing the bonnet, we install it. There is a rod that plugs into a socket which acts to hold the hood open.

Box 3

As we work towards completing the model, some obvious highlights are coming up: lots of flame yellowish orange beams, panels, and connectors, including the wheel arches for the great and a frame. There are also some 1×4 curved slopes/arches printed with “McLaren” and an 8×16 tile printed with the car’s details.

1/Butterfly Doors

Bag 19-20 Step777-863

We are entering the home stretch: Bags 19 and 20 are essentially mirror images of each other. I think I actually got through this phase of the build without any significant errors! We built up the doors’ distinctive shape with black and orange panels, while flex elements provided the upper part of the door frame. Small brick-built wing mirrors are added to the car.

The doors attach using a bar which attaches to the frame we build back at the start of box two. The final effect is one of the doors springing into the closed position once you start to close it.

2/ Rear Clam and Spoiler

Bag 21-3 Step 864-1000

We start by building the frame fork for the top of the rear clam. I appreciate yet another printed element located in the centre of the assembly. The long bright orange pins will serve to secure the clam onto the main chassis of the car.

We extend back to the rear corners and add come curves to the form. There are a few panels that are installed upside down,in front of the rear fender, forming the area where the wing will come to rest.

The clam slots in around the engine and rear window, and is held in place with the orange pins previously demonstrated. The Main challenge for me was ensuring that the wing supports slipped through easily, as well as the brick-built exhaust, which took me a couple of attempts to get right.

Only steps away from a completed motor car, we add the brake calipers, the printed arches, held in place with a couple of droid arms. It was certainly fiddly in the first instance, but practice makes perfect, and by the time I completed the other 3 hubs, I was a pro.

We built a small bag, which can be transported under the front bonnet, and added a name plaque. The bag has become an occasional tradition with these sets: it provides a little insight into the car itself.

The wheel hubs are a new element for this set, and they are specially presented on their own cardboard rack in the box. The tires are loose in the box. Some small round tiles with the McLaren logo are left to fill the middle of the hub. Or is it Starfleet?

Now, these name plaques will always be a little polarising. Until recently, Star Wars fans would deride the need for large stickers to be placed on these plaques. And I do feel that it is a blessing to be free of this problem. However, the injection point for this element lies front and centre, causing an unsightly blemish on the tile. At least a sticker can cover that point up completely or be reissued in the event of a typo. Even a small black dot might be appropriate to hide the mark.

Finally, we have the completed car, the name plaque and a small piece of luggage. And I have to admit; I think it’s rather splendid.

Lets take a look at the completed car:

The model is, by ramblingbrick City and Dreamzzz set standards HUGE! As I mentioned last time, this is my first ever build from the Technic LEGO Ultimate Car Concept Series. It was a challenge: any build of this size, with the opportunity for Critical Errors along the way is a challenge. Between the sheer time taken, the challenges in using so many connector pins and the fact that by the end of the build, it just wouldn’t fit in my lightbox for most camera angles.

But there was one more surprise for me, before I said “I’m Done”…

One last thing…

This set is not just about the build; it is also about the packaging. Now that I have built the set, it is too big to put back in the main box that it came in. However, I realized that I still have the original shipping carton. The inner box is just a little shorter than the shipping carton—about 5-6cm. It is supported at either end by a cardboard packing board. It turns out that the shipping carton is the ideal length to accommodate the model – with barely a millimeter spare at either end of the car.

There is some room to spare at the sides, but its a useful bit of knowledge.

Thoughts/Conclusion

This has been my first LEGO Technic Supercar Construction Experience. From the moment we open the box, it is obvious that this is intended to be a premium product. From the artwork on the box, the outfolding overlays on the inner cartons, as well as the packing of the manuals in the base, the anticipation of a premium building experience starts to build.

After introducing us to both the car and model, the first manual of construction is full of pitfalls and challenges – some of which might not be noticed for another 100 pages in the manual. I have already offered some sage advice for getting through this part of the build, which I shall restate, as I don’t think I encountered any particularly new problems in the Box 2 or 3.:

• *Handy Hint for Newbies #1: Axles and gears should turn easily – check them frequently.
• *Handy hint#2: when you are invited to pay close attention to what you are doing, please do it!
• *Handy Hint #3: treat these beams with alternating directions of holes with respect. They are incredibly useful but seem to be trying to trip me up at every opportunity.
• Handy Hint #4 Test the gearbox at the end of step 260. If you have a spare stopper, place it in front of the green gear. Don’t forget to remove it before proceeding.
• Handy Hint #5: When the manual suggests that you are approaching a pain point in the building process, check, double-check, and check again.

It is apparent that the Building Experience is important: these sets will be built by Technic Enthusiasts along with casual builders looking for a challenge on a bi-annual basis. There is evidence that as each of these models appears, there are fresh additions to the instruction manuals designed to help the builder have a pain-free and satisfying building experience; End-on and side-on images for comparison along the way, warnings when similar-looking elements might be confused and, most importantly, the orange and white boxes around steps that might be particularly prone to error.

I already outlined how a simple error in the gearbox’s construction resulted in the gears not adjusting in sequence. Indeed, I was starting to wonder if the entire model was going to be such a merciless build. However, the second and third boxes were predominantly concerned with the construction of the car’s body (once the door mechanism and steering were taken care of). I found these sections to be far more forgiving – with simple errors quick to cause problems in the next couple of steps, rather than hiding in wait, ready to pounce upon the unsuspecting builder.

That said, I wish I had the same understanding of Technic construction techniques as I do of System Bricks. The combinations of beams and panels, along with a few system elements here and there, really help the final model take on the form of the original car. I am not yet at the point where I feel I could replicate these without the instruction manual, but I have become more and more familiar with the techniques involved here this year.

Part of me longs for the car chassis of old, where you could continue to observe the working elements, rather than hiding them under the bodywork. These features were virtually all present: the differential, steering, engine with pistons moving, multiple speeds in the gear box, individual wheels’ suspension and steering. If only the seats in this car were more adjustable. That said, we have the butterfly doors, with a remarkable degree of effort invested in making sure that they close in just the right way.

But, having observed the way that they go together as I built it, I feel satisfied. I can open doors to see the inside, the rear clam can be removed to reveal aspects of the motor, and perhaps I could have relaxed, knowing that I was the only person who would attempt to cycle through the gears and noticed that it didn’t quite make sense.

Colour Consistency: Unexpectedly good!

Historically, flame yellowish orange has been a notoriously inconsistent colour for the LEGO Group: I have found some sets contain multiple versions of the pigment, demonstrating dramatically different hues, significantly exaggerated under UV Light.

I did not see this sort of inconsistency in the colours in this set, under either artificial or natural light. Perhaps because so many of the elements appearing in this colour are appearing for the first time simultaneously, these pigments have been remarkably consistent during the production run of the set. Hopefully, we can see this maintained across time. this is particularly relevant for this set after the 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 a few models ago, which was pilloried for the inconsistent appearance of the bright yellowish (lime) green elements.Lets look at the Mclaren under white LEDs and then UV light, and see how consistent it appears.

Interestingly, the only elements that seemed to fluoresce in this set were connectors, some in red, others in bright orange. None of the Flame Yellowish Orange elements obviously fluoresced.

And Finally

The final result is incredibly rewarding, if somewhat challenging for me to display at home.

If I had any complaints about the build process, it would be that, as an early review, I only had access to the printed manuals and not the 3D LEGO Builder App version of the instructions. The printed instructions consistently apply the same isometric view between steps, making it easy to see what has changed, but sometimes, the ability to rotate the image would have simplified some steps. This will apparently be live after the set is released, and I would certainly recommend the use of the 3D digital instructions in the construction of this set if they are available.

As far as providing the advertised experience that you would expect from the Ultimate Car Concept Series – it does all that you would expect: a premium unboxing experience followed by a challenging and immensely satisfying build, producing a beautifully designed 1:8 car model as a final result. This is the largest, most challenging Technic set that I have ever attempted. I cannot compare it with other sets in the series, although I did flick through some of the earlier manuals, and it appears that additional effort has been made with this set to ensure builders were less likely to make simple errors with consequences.

I would think that I spent over 20 hours in construction, plus a few more on trouble shooting, and this is certainly something to consider when you are trying to work out whether or not $AUD700 represents value for money. I have seen our local Certified Stores offer $150AUD gift cards in combination with builds of a certain price threshold, from time to time, and this should certainly tip the balance for most people who might be interested in the model.

If you enjoy building working models with lots of integrated features, you will probably enjoy the experience offered by this set. I am delighted to award it 5/5 Arbitrary Praise units. There are so many details incorporated into the model to help you see what goes on in the vehicle, The sense of satisfaction upon completing the construction, along with the quality of the final model, and the invisible ‘things you know are hidden away inside’, make this a truly premium build experience.

If you purchase this set, as a LEGO Insider, you will qualify for the buildable P1 Logo.

The set goes on sale on August 1 2024, has 3893 pieces and has a recommended retail price of $AUD699.99/€449.99 / £389.99/ $ USD449.99/ $CAD 589.99 from LEGO.com or your local LEGO Store. 

I’d love to know what you think of this set. Is it for you? Have you built the entire series, or is this your first of the Technic Ultimate Car Concept series? What are you looking forward to with this set? Leave you comments below.

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Until Next Time,

Play Well!

This set was provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes, all opinions are my own.