LEGO has been on a bit of a roll with model cars this year. A new wave of Speed Champions sets, an iconic car from the 1980s, Technic models of Formula 1 and Formula E cars, and now, the latest entry into the 1:8 scale line of Technic supercars. Except… This one isn’t just a supercar. 42172 LEGO Technic McLaren P1 depicts one of the first hybrid hypercars from 3,893 pieces, and will release this August 1st for US $449.99 | CAN $589.99 | UK £389.99. The Technic Ultimate line has a reputation for pulling out all the stops, with a price tag to match. Will the McLaren live up to this high standard? Read on to find out!
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
Ever since 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS back in 2016, unboxing these 1:8 scale cars has been something of an experience in itself. The front of this new set’s box shows off the P1 in all its bright light-orange glory, while the back shows… Well, the P1’s back, and not much else.
Lifting the lid reveals a top-down shot of the car, with flaps that open up to reveal the LEGO one.
Taking these out, we find three boxes that line up to show another shot of the rear of the car. It’s a little annoying that they go 2, 1, 3 from left to right. No? Just me? Anyway…
Each box contains a host of paper bags. There are 23 in total: bags 1 through 10 are in box one, 11 to 18 in box two, and the remainder in box three along with the wheels and tyres. Some of the larger pieces are kept separately in plastic bags too.
Underneath the boxes, we find the two instruction booklets.
As with many 18+ LEGO sets, the first book starts off with information about the set and its source material – and there is a lot in here. Almost 40 pages’ worth, in fact!
It covers the development of the set and the real car, with input from McLaren and LEGO staffers alike. Of particular note is a shot of the LEGO Technic office with some prototype models in the background. It’s also interesting that some of the McLaren engineers call out 8860 Car Chassis as having played an important role in their formative years!
Finally, as with previous sets of its ilk, there is a QR code that you can scan to listen to a podcast while you build. It seems this wasn’t live at the time of writing (a bit over two weeks ahead of the set’s official launch date), though, so I couldn’t say how informative it is. That said, if previous editions are anything to go by, I’m sure it’s a good way to pass the time.
Each section also starts with a neat little blurb on what you’re about to make, touching on design challenges and new elements.
And speaking of building things…
The build
First on our list from the first three bags: the exhaust and rear suspension, starting with the differential.
Before long, we come across our first new parts: wishbones and shock absorbers. The shocks are a bit chunkier than the more common ones with the metal spring, so will hopefully deal with the considerable weight of these cars a bit better.
For the car nerds out there, our setup is a double wishbone one with direct damper attachment. It’ll be familiar to you if you’ve built large Technic cars before, despite the new parts. Since the P1 is rear-wheel drive, we attach driveshafts to the wheel hubs too.
The suspension has a surprising amount of resistance when assembled. Perhaps it’ll be easier to compress once we’re finished.
A few more transmission related bits go onto the underside, and we go back to the top to finish off the parts from bag 2.
We’ll continue down the line of gears later, but first we need to make the mechanism to raise and lower the rear wing, and the exhaust. The latter uses a few system parts to accomplish the smaller details, including the gold heat shielding on top. This will become a bit of a theme of this model.
The rear wing mechanism uses a worm gear with an actuator that’s disguised as part of the diffuser.
It’s locked in with a series of beams and pins…
…Before the rest of the diffuser goes on.
It doesn’t take much to work out how the wing will work from here. We’ve already made quite a few working parts to fiddle with while we build!
And speaking of working parts, next up is one of the most complex in the set: the gearbox. It starts off fairly innocuously, with a wall of beams and a handful of gears.
But before long, we’ve turned it into a proper gear sandwich!
There are some new elements in amongst all this, the first of which is a new clutch drum in green, top centre in the shot below. Two are included across the set, but only one is in this bag (bag 4, for those counting along at home).
The next bag includes a new shifter drum element that was called out in the blurb at the start of this section. The forks aren’t new, but until now they could only be found in 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP.
This is where the gearbox starts to deviate from the standard that the previous 1:8 scale cars had set. The designers were keen to stay true to the source material and have a seven-speed, double-clutch gearbox. That’s what required these new elements.
There’s also a rubber band wedged between a beam and axle bush, that provides some resistance – albeit not much – to the switching mechanism.
Yet more gears are added, and until it’s all together you need to be careful to keep the drums aligned correctly using the indented arrows. There are regular reminders in the instructions, thankfully.
Once it is finished, you can get an idea of how changing gear will work. This will all get covered up before long, so enjoy it while you can!
We’ll need some power to go through those gears, though. First is the electric element of the McLaren P1’s hybrid system, the e-motor, which is the tiny light-bluish grey drum at the bottom of this frame.
Eventually this too will spin, so we need to throw on some more cogs.
Then it’s the more potent portion of the powertrain: the 3.2-litre V8. I’m sure I must have made engines with these elements close to a hundred times over my years of building Technic sets. Not many have a snazzy printed P1 logo on top though!
I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It runs well at least.
Once we plonk it atop the gearbox, we can marry it up to the diff and rear suspension. A bit of patience to line everything up goes a long way here.
The remaining elements then either add detail – such as the engine inlet pipes – or strengthen the connection between the two halves. Or in some cases, do both, such as the engine crossbeams off at an angle!
The remainder of bags in the first box – numbers 8, 9 and 10 – will all go towards the cockpit and the so-called ‘e-mode’ selection. We start off with some more cogs and clutches.
This is integrated into the platform for the cockpit area. A pair of linked levers will allow us to transition from neutral to either e-mode (just the motor spinning) or hybrid mode (both motor and engine).
Unlike the engine and gearbox, we waste no time attaching this to the rest of the model.
We’ve seen a smattering of flame yellow (or bright light orange, depending on your outlook on life) parts already; but from bag 9, they start to pop up more frequently. There’s another ‘P1’ printed element here too.
Our first port of call, though, is at the other end of the shifter mechanism. This makes use of a yellow selector wheel and actuators on a rubber Technic beam. A couple of rubber bands give that all-important springiness.
That slots in, swiftly followed by the seats. Those printed 1×2 beams – for there are two of them – are used as headrests.
The shifting is now pretty much complete, and we can see how it all works. I must admit that while building it, the selector wheel and actuator mechanism didn’t feel great, but with it all hooked up it’s much smoother.
We then finish up this bag – and indeed, box number one – with the start of the dashboard, and two printed System tiles: one with some centre console detailing, the other our exclusive code to download some goodies from LEGO’s website. I wonder if this is in the same place as the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number, or chassis code) on the real cars?
Having finished off one complex mechanism in the shifters, we move to another in box two that’s surprising in its complexity – the doors. But first, more bright light orange (BLO)! And there’s a new mould in amongst all this, too: a curved panel with an angle off to one side.
BLO hasn’t been applied to many Technic sets, and if you want Technic panels, your options are either this or since 2019’s 4×4 X-Treme Off Roader. Both are quite expensive sets, so these parts may not be cheap to get on the aftermarket.
Back to the doors, though. They’re butterfly doors – that is, they swing out and up when opening. That’s what makes this part so complicated. A shock absorber element allows for them to be displayed open, while that ball joint will presumably attach to the door itself.
We make use of those newly-recoloured Technic panels to form an air intake and cover it up. At this unfinished stage the mechanism is quite clunky and jams easily, so we’ll take a look at it in motion a little later on.
For now, we’ll move on to the front suspension starting in bag 13. The construction is conceptually similar to the rear, but with steering arms and a rack instead of tie rods.
Nothing revolutionary about the mechanism, but we do get some more printed tiles for the steering wheel and dashboard.
With those in, we polish off the rest of the interior. The last bit is the Technic axle assembly that’s bottom centre in the second photo below, and just sort of… Leave it there. I’m sure its purpose will become clear later, as I have no idea what it’s for right now.
Our drivers will need something to keep the rain out, so let’s move onto the roof. It starts with a brake light set in at an angle, and an air intake is fashioned from a Technic panel and System curved slopes.
After assembling the rest using curved Technic panels, we make the A-pillars using a pair of new and very interesting new parts. The instructions caution us to get the orienation right, and it’s not until I saw this warning that I realised that these arms actually have an offset!
The brake light we made at the start is then promptly covered up by this assembly, featuring two symmetrical panels printed with a grille mesh pattern.
Now onto bag 16, and we will turn our attention towards the front end. It starts off with a bunch of aerodynamic-looking floor parts…
…before we add in a radiator (made up of cheese slopes)…
…and the top half of the bumper. It’s quite surprising how much System parts make up the front of this car.
Yet more new orange panels greet us as we start to build up the bodywork.
The headlights are interesting, making use of white pieces and flex cable to give the impression of headlight. Is it a good one? It’s a resounding… Kinda. The lights on modern McLarens are designed to mimic the shape of their company logo, and some angles are more flattering than others here.
Then, onto the bonnet (or hood). There’s a tiny 1×2 panel printed with the McLaren logo for this. I’m impressed by how many small parts have been printed in similar ways so far.
The construction makes use of some rather cool techniques to sculpt the surfaces of the bonnet. Curved tapered panels go below everything else, with another pair on the outside angled with a half-pin connector.
Then we just need to put it on the car, and at last we find out what that mysterious loose beam is. It’s a bonnet stay to keep the hood up!
And that’s not the only mystery we can solve as we approach the end of the second box. With the help of those new angled curved panels, and a couple of wheelarch pieces, we can lock in the door mechanism…
…and get a better look at how it will work. Or at least, the ‘up’ bit of ‘swinging out and up’.
Third and final box, and since we just locked in the mechanism for the doors, why not finish those off right away? It’s a lot of layering Technic panels here. There’s a new colour for the 1×6 System slope, too, in – you guessed it – bright light orange.
It’s happened a few times now, but every time we come across a Technic sub-assembly attached at an angle, I’m amazed at how the geometry all lines up. The latest instance is on the side of the door.
Finally, we top it off with a flex tube to create the top of the frame. Its front pivot may need some tweaking to get it to a nice shape – I did a rather poor job here!
Attaching the doors to the chassis is really quite fiddly, possibly the trickiest of the entire build. The intructions recommend attaching it with the mechanism in the closed position, but I found it easier to attach the ball joint with it open, before closing it and securing it with the locking pins.
At least the mirrors are easier to attach!
We can then put the nearly-finished car to one side for now, using the bulk of the remaining parts for the rear clamshell (the bodywork on the back of the car). More new orange re-colours, including the enormous 11×15 Technic frame, but also in light bluish grey: a quartet of wishbone pieces at the start of the clamshell.
And we have more clever Technic geometry to marvel at, too. In part that includes the attachment to that 11×15 frame:
But it also applies to the sculpted parts on top, starting with the rear side windows:
And continuing onto the main rear window. Or its frame, at least, since these sets don’t really have windows per se.
A couple of smaller Technic frames flank the main clamshell assembly, and we attach the rear bumper and what will be the cradle for the rear wing.
Although it’s not immediately obvious (and I must tip my hat to our friends at New Elementary for pointing this out), the wheelarch pieces are actually different front to rear. The rear ones, which we’re putting on now, are a new mould that extends slightly taller than the merely re-coloured front ones do.
You can already see connectors pointing every which way in preparation for the tail lights, and that’s what goes on next. Much like the headlights, these use flexible axles to recreate the curves. And, like the headlights, they do look a bit better when seen from a distance. Still, an admirable solution.
The clamshell sits very snugly on the rest of the chassis, and is held in by just two orange pegs. You can see them sticking up toward the front of the rear fenders.
Onto the home stretch now, last bag! And our last prints, too. The orange arches here will be used as brake calipers, while the 1×1 tiles – of which there is a spare – represent the central locking wheel nut. (My sincerest apologies for not lining up that last tile properly…)
Before that, though, we still have to build our rear wing. It’s quite a simple build, but the way the angles and panels line up makes for a great rendition of the curvacious real thing.
As with every other car, the P1 gets its own new set of wheel rims in gunmetal grey. The tyres were last seen in the previous car in this series, the Ferrari Daytona SP3.
And last but not least, is the luggage, which for some reason every one of these cars seems to come with. There’s also the information placard, a nice big printed piece, but only propped up with a solitary Technic liftarm. To be honest, after all the excitement of building the car, these almost felt like an afterthought.
On the plus side, it means the total number of steps in the instructions is a nice round 1,000 exactly. Very satisfying!
The completed model
And here is the McLaren P1 in all its bright light orange/flame yellow glory!
Although some details are best observed from afar, particularly the lights, it’s a very eye-catching model.
As suspected, it’s a bit easier to bump the car up and down on its suspension with it all together. Hopefully the new springs will be a bit more resistant to wear than the metal ones which the other cars used. The ones in my collection don’t sound or feel great after having been assembled for 6 or more years!
Pretty much the only blot on the car’s copybook, looks-wise, is the gearwheel for the rear wing. It’s pretty conspicuous poking out from under the rear of the car. Although it means an extra spare tool, I might have preferred something like the Bugatti Chiron’s key if it meant having a cleaner exterior.
Still, the mechanism works well. It doesn’t take long to raise or lower it.
If you want to access the engine bay, you will have to take the rear wing off before removing the clamshell. It’s quite easy to do, if a bit of a rudimentary solution.
It’s a shame the engine is barely visible with the car assembled, but I do like how much of the shifter mechanism is exposed alongside it. It’s fascinating seeing it in action, although it’s nigh-on impossible to tell what gear you’re in!
And speaking of complex mechanisms, how does the door work when it’s all assembled? The opening is really smooth, but you’ll want to make sure you line it up properly when you close it. And you can display it with the doors open, as promised…
…but they’re alarmingly wobbly! They are only attached at a couple of points, after all, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll fall off.
How about in comparison to the other cars in the series? I don’t own 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3, and my copy of 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 is still waiting patiently in its box. But sat next to the first two sets from this line – 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS and 42083 Bugatti Chiron – the P1 looks gorgeous.
In terms of functions, they’re all fairly similar: opening doors and bonnets, functional engines, gearboxes that let you shift gear, and adjustable rear wings. But there’s no doubt that the McLaren’s are more interesting in their nature, and the way they are accomplished.
Conclusions and recommendation
If you want a premium LEGO building experience, then you can’t get much better than the Technic Ultimate sets. I didn’t have the luxury of time to be able to enjoy building the P1 to is fullest, and this is definitely one to take your time over. Listen to the podcast, pore over every detail, make sure you get the tricky bits right, and it will make for a very rewarding experience. The final model looks great, and the wobbly doors and exposed rear wing actuator are pretty much the only marks I have against it.
A premium set commands a premium price, though, and with the exception of the doors and gearbox you can probably find similar functionality in other Technic sets for a fraction of the cost. If you’re after the créme de la créme of LEGO sets, and you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed with the P1. Doubly so, if you’re a collector of the series. All that said, previous entries in this series have been available for at least two years, so if you’re prepared to be patient, a $50-$100 discount would move this set from merely decent value to excellent.
LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 contains 3,893 pieces, and will retail for US $449.99 | CAN $589.99 | UK £389.99. It will release on August 1st, and may also be available from online retailers such as eBay or Amazon.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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