Building miniature Ferraris with Lego bricks
Lego bricks are among the most recognizable objects in the world. Most kids of this generation and even generations before would have a certain familiarity with these remarkable toys, be it passing or intimate. I loved Lego sets as a boy, but these things are not exactly cheap, and my folks weren’t going to get me new ones every other week.
Not that it mattered. As we all know, the very essence of Lego bricks is to allow you to build and design your own toy the way you like it. There are instructions for you to reproduce the assembly pictured on the box, but you are free to vary and deviate from the illustrated product anyway you like. I recall one particular set which I ‘converted’ a 1:18 sized Jeep from LHD to RHD.
Growing up, I naturally stopped playing with my Lego sets, although I do keep them on display in glass cupboards wherever there’s space. My love for these infinitely customizable toys were rekindled earlier this year when I received a Lego Technic muscle car set to build as a birthday present. It came complete with an engine block with moving components plus working steering and suspension. Putting the double wishbone suspension and steering rack together was a heavenly experience satisfying both my inner child and car nut.
Another event that revived my Lego fascination recently was a visit to the newly-opened Legoland in Johor on a personal trip. To be honest, the rides were nothing to shout about, but the miniature cities that were painstakingly put together by Lego bricks, were breathtaking to admire – KL, JB, Singapore, Port Klang, Forbidden City, KLIA, Angkor Wat, and Taj Mahal, were among several cities and landmarks replicated to mind-blowing detail.
Most recently, came yet another encounter with Lego through a channel which I never anticipated possible – work. You wouldn’t think that a motoring journalist’s work will have anything to do with Lego bricks, but neither did I until we got a call from Shell asking us if we were interested to do a review of its then-upcoming range of six miniature Ferrari Lego sets each replicating an iconic Ferrari vehicle from Maranello’s glorious history.
So, before we go on, here comes the disclosure, the six Lego sets were given to us without charge for the review, and to be perfectly frank, I wasn’t quite sure how do I review six cars that I can’t drive and are made of Lego bricks. There is no engine, transmission, or suspension to talk about, and neither are there any driving experiences to evaluate. Still, the sets came, and I dutifully assembled them all.
The six sets are released to consumers in two waves of three. There were some changes from the original promotion mechanics, but in the finalized offer, consumers can get the cars from any Shell station at a price of RM12.90 each, although anyone who pumps RM40 worth of Shell V-Power 97 or Shell V-Power Racing gets RM2 off. There is also a seventh set in the promotion with a series of Lego mini-figurines.
In the first wave of three sets released on 8 November 2012 was the iconic 250 GT, one of Ferrari’s most sought-after vehicles ever; the 150 Italia F1 racer of the 2011 season; and the 458 Italia. The second wave of sets will be released on 29 November, and in there are replicas of the Scuderia Ferrari transport truck prime mover, the FXX, and the F40, another vehicle that is consistently ranked among the greatest Ferrari road cars ever.
Assembly of the six sets were relatively simple and straight forward – I completed them in less than two hours, and that’s with me stopping at every step to snap photos to be shared on our Facebook page. Clearly, these are sets designed to cater for builders of very young ages but still able to amuse more matured ones.
Typical of Lego sets, the six Ferrari miniatures are not created with precise proportions, but they possess sufficient cues of the original ‘mother vehicle’ to carry the resemblance. The 250 GT, in particular, reproduced its trademarked round lights rather well, although the F1 racer and truck look impressively real too, for a small Lego set. The low-slung proportions of the F40 and 458 Italia, however, were not as convincingly replicated, although as we know, this is inherent of all Lego creations.
Certain surface details were printed on bricks that are custom-designed for this series, or self-applied stickers. Being small, the stickers can be tricky to apply, so you will need a bit of dexterity with your fingers, or perhaps a micro-pincer may be useful.
Each of the six models are built on a common base, in which Lego’s smallest ever pull-back motor is housed – so, yes, these Ferraris are rear-wheel drive, and they illustrate the real-world automotive industry’s concept of platform-sharing in the process.
Whilst not quite as sophisticated as a full-on Lego Technic set, the Shell Lego Ferrari sets are good fun for people of all ages. They are lovely collectables to have, and at RM12.90 each, they are also amazingly affordable for Lego sets, albeit small ones. The sets will remain on sale while stocks last, grab them while you still can.
KON
Visit Autoworld’s official Facebook page and check out step-by-step picture albums of us building each of the six models.
