Review: 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car
Posted by Huw,
Surprisingly, it's been over 15 years since LEGO produced a licensed Technic Formula 1 car. The last one was 8674 Ferrari F1 Racer 1:8 released during 2006, and a lot has changed since, both in terms of the design of the cars themselves and the range of Technic pieces available.
The release of 42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car is therefore long overdue, and today seems like an appropriate time to review it given that the 2022 season is now underway.
Summary
42141 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car, 1,432 pieces.
£169.99 / $199.99 / €199.99 | 11.9p/14.0c/14.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An attractive model but not without its faults
- Impressive size
- Colourful
- Looks great on display from a distance
- 2021 livery on 2022 car
- Treaded tyres and wheel covers detract from the overall appearance
The prototype
The model is something of a hybrid: it's physically based upon the 2022 car, bottom, but with the 2021 season livery, top.
The real vehicle has a wheelbase of 3.6m, a length of 5m and width of 2m, so I'll use those dimensions to calculate the scale of the model later.
2021:
2022:
New parts
The set includes a number of interesting new parts. This 67491 FRAME 3X19 has also cropped up in 42140 App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle, and it's the longest Technic beam to date.
These new panels, 80271 ANGULAR PANEL RIGHT 5X4X3, NO. 1 and 80272 ANGULAR PANEL LEFT 5X4X3, NO. 1 are numbered 70 and 71 and match the profile of 24116 PANEL ANGULAR 3X5X3 W/4.85 HOLE.
The set contains four of this 'apostrophe', 89679 PANEL 2X1X1, NO. 1, whose curve matches that of 71682 PANEL 2X3X1, NO. 1 introduced last year.
The 5x7 frame is one of a number of elements that has been cast in orange for the first time. You can view them in the set's inventory.
Stickers
Three sheets containing approximately 60 stickers provide sponsor's logos and other details.
Construction
Functionality-wise the model does not offer a great deal, and that which it has is mostly concentrated in the rear axle and engine assembly, which is the first section to be built.
The 6-cylinder engine is connected to the rear axle via a differential, and suspension is provided by two springs mounted horizontally in the centre of the assembly.
Front suspension is also facilitated by horizontally mounted springs, under the orange section.
The bodywork and front wings make extensive use of the curved panel, 67142 LEFT PANEL CURVED 5X13X2, NO. 1, that was introduced in 2020 in 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37. It's new here in black and blue.
The completed model
It's 65cm long and 27cm wide which scales it at about 1:13, both length-wise and width-wise. Superficially it looks pretty good.
It has the features of the 2022 car, such as 'winglets' above the front wheels, but it's sporting the 2021 livery and sponsors' logos.
Steering is accomplished using the wheel in the cockpit.
The horizontal orange bodywork is created using a series of layered wing-shaped panels, and it's not entirely successful owing to the gaps between them.
The 'wheel covers' -- created using stickered 6177 PLATE Ø63.84 W. 4 KNOBS -- I think look pretty awful, nothing like those on the real car, and detract from the car's overall appearance.
The tyres, first used on the 2014 76023 The Tumbler, are equally disappointing. They vaguely resemble Formula 1 wets, but it would have looked so much better with slicks.
The engine's cylinders are visible through a hole in the bodywork which will please those that complain that they can't see the workings of Technic models, but also trouble those that would rather have a more realistic-looking model.
It's interesting to note the sponsors shown on the 2021 car above that didn't make it onto the stickers: Coca-Cola and 'A Better Tomorrow' which is actually British American Tobacco, for example.
The halo above the cockpit is not perfect and looks as if it's too high, but comparing it to the real car it's probably about right.
The air intake above the cockpit is one of a few details on the car that utilise System pieces to create a shape that's not possible with Technic alone. There are some clever SNOT techniques used within it.
The 2022 car has a very pointed and angular nose which has not been replicated particularly well using the curved panels.
It looks pretty good from the back, but I've no idea how accurate it is because I've not been able to find a picture of the real car from the rear.
The rear wing can be angled up and down to mimic the drag reduction system (DRS), but has to be done using the 'hand of God' rather from a control in the cockpit which is a shame, but inevitable given the complexities that such a system would require.
Verdict
I've pointed out quite a few issues with the model, so you might therefore expect me to dislike it, but that's not the case at all. It's certainly not perfect, but it's probably as good as it can be without creating new parts and panels that better replicate the shapes and curves of the car.
From a distance it looks great, but close up the problems become apparent: inappropriate tyres, unsightly wheel covers, gaps between panels and so on.
The fact that it's the 2021 livery on the 2022 car will concern some, too. Given development timescales and so on it was inevitable, I understand that, but nevertheless it's unfortunate, and perhaps it would have been better to have released it later in the year with the correct colour scheme.
That said, it is a colourful, impressive and attractive display model and, despite its faults, the best Technic Formula 1 car yet.
93 likes
32 comments on this article
"Looks great on display from a distance". Ooh BURN!
I like when the recommendation “based” on price is included.
My friend got this one. At this price, feels like too many short comings.
An ok model, but probably would have been better as a system set, and left this Technic slot to something more... Technic. Just my thoughts, but Im also not very interested in F1 so dont take it to seriously. This review reminded me of the iconic Technic style, exposed cylinders, what could go wrong?
I’m still waiting for mine. It was backordered when I placed the order (on 3/1!!).
As much as I love F1, the new livery is so much better and would make building this feel dated. I'll wait for a discount.
Technic... great for bulldozers, cranes, and 4x4s. A bit pants for F1 and supercars!
Those wheel covers are abysmal. Need to be full height like for Speed Champions or not at all. Half way up the sidewall looks ridiculous, not even remotely emulating tyre printing.
In a way, it's good the model has the 21 colour scheme. The 22 colour scheme is truly awful. I was going to buy a team polo shirt for this season until I saw that it's a replica of the Halford's uniform. Nothing against the retailer, but it doesn't scream "international racing team". Bought a blue 21 McLando shirt instead.
I saw the first image in the article and wondered how LEGO got the lines so smooth. 2 seconds later I realized it was the actual image of the vehicle not LEGO.
The blue line on the tyres indicates that they are wet weather tyres, which also means that Lego didn't have to create a new mould for slicks.
If only they just made this a 2021 car....would have solved at least some of the issues. It looks okay, but from a licensed product you would expect at least some level of accuracy. And hey, at least the 2021 car was quite competitive, the 2022 car clearly still needs a lot of work ;-)
As a Technic set it is even more disappointing because this is just pure form over function. And for that, I'd say the Creator series would be much more suitable. I mean, every Technic set with more stickers than gears to me just isn't a true Technic set.
And especially at this price, such stupid mistakes just aren't forgivable. If this was a €60 set from a clone brand, well, you got what you payed for. But for €180 from a brand like Lego this is just very disappointing.
@eureka1947 said:
"The blue line on the tyres indicates that they are wet weather tyres, which also means that Lego didn't have to create a new mould for slicks."
But they could have at least made correct stickers, Cinturato instead of P Zero. They did that correctly with the Speed Champions Mercedes set, so why not here?
Given McLaren’s poor qualifying showing this morning for Bahrain this model might actually be a fair representation for them!
It just doesn’t look good from up close. I wish this had been done as a CREATOR Expert car. Technic pieces are fine for a frame, but when you’re making something with such a streamlined exterior the gaping holes just detract too badly. I don’t see what was gained in making this solely out of Technic.
I still can't wrap my head around why wheel covers are an aesthetic sin but being covered in company advertisements are a-ok!
And... you can take the covers off, yeah?
@eureka1947 said:
"The blue line on the tyres indicates that they are wet weather tyres, which also means that Lego didn't have to create a new mould for slicks."
Except that there's no blue line on the tyres... All we have here are wet weather hub caps!
It's not even a '22 car with '21 livery. The body is a 2021 car; look at the angle in the nose, the 2022 is smooth, and the shape of the air intake/ engine cover. The wings are 2022, the sidepods are... mostly '21 but not quite.
The wheels just look awful. They tried a similar trick in Speed Champions and there it worked. At the price point we really could have done with printed tyres like on the Silver Champion in 2000, even if it was still the treaded tyre with blue printing it would look better than this.
Also, F1 rear tyres are wider than the front. From what I can see the front tyres are pretty close to scale but the rears should be 30% wider.
I was looking forward to this set when it was announced but having seen it now it's a disappointing mess. Had they done this as a generic F1 car then the only issue would have been the wheels, but branding it as McLaren 2022... it just isn't.
As a generic F1 car (heresy for any F1 fan!), I reckon it would look better without stickers.
You’ll want to change “that’s now possible” to “that’s not possible”.
Looks great on display FROM A DISTANCE - well, that's shore)
I can't get used to the tumbler wheels on a race car. But perhaps it's the wheel covers that spoil the appearance: I think their diameter is too large. they should not sitck out over the width of the tyre. Thus a smaller disk that fits into the rim could imporve on the overall look.
Is there a chance to show a picture of the car with old racing tyres (https://brickset.com/parts/design-56424 + https://brickset.com/parts/design-32296) on?
It would be good to see it next to silver champion 8458
@sir_vasco said:
"I still can't wrap my head around why wheel covers are an aesthetic sin but being covered in company advertisements are a-ok!
And... you can take the covers off, yeah?"
The thing is, the covers are meant to be half tyre/half wheel cover, and that makes the wheel look kind of blurred. Leaving off the cover off will leave a wheel that's more suited for off road purposes than a smooth tarmac.
I am a Formula One fan, but I really doubt I will buy this set. The overall shape is OK, the last-year livery is weird but kinda understandable, the functions are OK.
But those wheels are, well, crappy job all around. They are completely wrong from any perspective. And the new 18" wheels are one of the biggest points of the new 2022 technical regulations, not even mentioning the very point of Formula series being open wheel racing cars.
Starting from outside, the thread. I get why Lego may not want to make some new slick tyres. And yes, there are wet tyres in F1. But then they put the wrong logo, wet tyres are not Pirelli P Zero, they are branded Pirelli Cinturato. Weirdly, they did not do this mistake in Mercedes set. And they put blue band not on the tyre, but on the cover. Okay, kinda makes sense. But this cover is otherwise completely flat, they did not even try to visually separate the tyre from the rim and cover. Come on, it's a sticker already, Lego could just print any details, like the rim, or the small holes around the cover. And then we get to the centre, where instead of a colourful wheel nut deep inside, we see just a plain black plate sticking outside. Completely wrong, and we don't get even a sticker.
I understand TLG's unwillingness to make new parts, but they cheapened on the wheels so hard, they look nothing like the real deal. And I just can't accept these "wheels", they ruin the whole car experience for me.
Those tyres are screaming Hoosier sprintcar rear tyres.
@Wrecknbuild said:
"The thing is, the covers are meant to be half tyre/half wheel cover, and that makes the wheel look kind of blurred. Leaving off the cover off will leave a wheel that's more suited for off road purposes than a smooth tarmac."
Oooh, that makes sense, thank you. I'm clearly not a car guy. x)
Another thing about the wheel covers... I read on New Elementary's review that if(when) you don't get the sticker centered perfectly, the blue rim pattern will appear to wobble when the wheel spins.
Infortunately McLaren didn't do well in today's race :(
Despite all of the above mentioned issues probably I will buy this set, as a massive fan of F1. This will be my first large F1 set. I have some back from the 6-wide era, and have a bunch of 6-wide F1 car MOCS from the '14 season, one of each team of that era.
This set should be put on the Technic hall of shame list for failed marketing stunts and sum of inaccuracies. At least the 488 GTE depicted an actual vehicle.
Next time, just call it a concept vehicle and stop pissing off fans, LEGO!
I am more of a 'classic' F1 fan and as such have built 6 of Rosco's excellent historic F1 cars using instructions from Rebrickable. Luca (Rosco PC) mentions that he has not attempted to replicate more modern F1 cars due to the impossibility of getting the shapes right and the general fragility of todays cars with regards to the tiny winglets and other details compared to those in the past. Consequently, his models stop around 1990, rely on system parts for the bodywork and have a scale of 1/8 which is roughly right using the largest of the rear tyres from the Williams F1 car from a few years back. If this model was at a matching 1/8 scale I would have considered it, but will reserve my shelf space for another historic (Ferrari 312T)!
@WizardOfOss said:
"I mean, every Technic set with more stickers than gears to me just isn't a true Technic set."
Then you don't understand how motor racing works. These vehicles aren't bought by construction companies or consumers. A lot of the money comes from the sponsors.
Or do you mean that if you didn't apply the stickers, it *would* be a true Technic set? This is the most misguided part of your comment.
@asherkobin said:
"Then you don't understand how motor racing works. These vehicles aren't bought by construction companies or consumers. A lot of the money comes from the sponsors."
O sorry, I honestly thought this Lego set was aimed at consumers, which they expect to pay premium prices for it. My bad.
But maybe that explains the terrible performance of McLaren last weekend. I love Lego, but I honestly don't think it is very suitable for actual race cars.
"Or do you mean that if you didn't apply the stickers, it *would* be a true Technic set? This is the most misguided part of your comment."Lowering the number of stickers is one way (or if Lego thinks they are essential to the looks, replace them by prints), but I'd rather see them increase the number of gears.
For me (and I surely won't be the only one?), Technic is primarily about function. Lego has other product lines that lend themselves much better for sets that are primarily about form.
"the best Technic Formula 1 car yet"
Well.. What about the silver champion 8458 or the grand prix racer 42000 ? They had more functions, looked better IMO and they had a B-Model. Even the racers ( 8461 , 8386 ) were better than this McLaren to be honest.
Wrong livery and the tires are proof that LEGO just wants our money and don't care about the product itself.
Redesign incoming? Promobricks article about licensing issues
@nashikens said:
"I like when the recommendation “based” on price is included.
My friend got this one. At this price, feels like too many short comings. "
what is hte price btw???