YOU CAN NOW HAVE THE ICONIC MCLAREN P1 AS A LEGO TECHNIC KIT - MUCH WANT!
We’ve shown you quite a few awesome LEGO kits, some affordable and some costing more money than a good SARS return, but we’ve never mentioned anything about the company behind the kits. Before we get to their latest kit that we’d bite someone in the face for, here’s a bit about these legendary building blocks. This isn’t just any story; this is LEGO’s story and the tale starts in the quaint Danish town of Billund way back in 1932. Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter by trade, found himself in the thick of the Great Depression and decided to pivot from crafting wooden furniture to creating toys. By 1934, Christiansen coined the term LEGO which was derived from the Danish words "Leg godt," meaning "play well." Jumping to 1949, LEGO transitioned from using wood to plastic and at the same time unveiled the now-iconic interlocking bricks. These weren’t just any bricks; they were designed to fuel the imaginations of children (and let’s be honest, adults too) around the globe. Initially, the company struggled to convince the market of the durability and potential of plastic, but by the 1960s, LEGO had really hit its stride. The patented design of the LEGO brick in 1958 was the game-changer. The bricks now had a robust clutch power, allowing for the seamless construction of larger and more complex models. In 1968, LEGOLAND Billund opened its doors, offering a theme park experience that brought LEGO creations to life. The late '90s and early 2000s were turbulent times for LEGO with financial woes and missteps with product lines but they soon returned to their roots, focusing on core products and listening to their fans. By the 2010s, LEGO was back at full speed, embracing digital innovations and collaborations with major franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter - and the LEGO Movie in 2014 was a home run.
The company is flourishing, and it’s thanks to the new generation build kits that are based on the world’s best cars, oh, and of course all the other non-motoring related kits but they do nothing for us. The latest, and possibly greatest release from LEGO has just arrived, and we want it! This new kit comes from another collaboration with McLaren Automotive and falls under the LEGO Technic product line in the form of the iconic McLaren P1. The LEGO Technic team embraced the challenge of replicating the McLaren P1 in a sizeable 1:8 scale - 14 cm high, 59 cm long and 25 cm wide. The release is part of the LEGO Technic Ultimate Car Concept Series and consists of 3,893 pieces. Each car also features a unique serial number unlocking special behind-the-scenes content online. The model features a 7-speed gearbox with 2 shifter drums, suspension, a V8 piston engine, an adjustable rear wing, and opening dihedral doors with advanced mechanisms. “It’s amazing to see so many elements from the original P1 brought to life by the LEGO team. I hope this collaboration inspires the next generation of designers and engineers to push the boundaries of automotive innovation,” said Tobias Sühlmann, Chief Design Officer, McLaren Automotive. Kasper Rene Hansen, Designer at LEGO Group, added, “We wanted to capture the details of the real McLaren P1 in the best way possible. We worked on multiple variations to test different designs and faced challenges with the iconic butterfly doors, requiring a new mechanism to stay open. It was a great experience to recreate the McLaren P1, and I hope all supercar enthusiasts are ready to explore the details and intricacies of the real McLaren P1 in LEGO Technic form.” This awesome LEGO kit will be available from 1 August and even though it will cost over R8,000, it will surely sell out quicker than the P1’s 0-100 time.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the Racing Brick pros as they delve into everything that makes this new LEGO Technics kit so damn awesome, besides the price, of course: LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 detailed building review pt 1 - unboxing, 7 speed gearbox and more! | Racing Brick
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