Review: 42123 McLaren Senna GTR
Posted by Huw,
42123 McLaren Senna GTR was one of the first 2021 sets announced, back in November, and while we've had it in hand since then we are only now permitted to publish our review, the day it's officially released.
LEGO has produced various McLaren-licensed sets in the past but this is the first Technic one. It's based on the 825bhp $1.65 million track racer, of which 75 were built and which are illegal to drive on public roads.
The 830-piece LEGO version is much smaller than 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51', also released today, and thus much cheaper, priced at £44.99 / $49.99.
Construction
Stickers are the scourge of modern Technic sets, particularly those depicting vehicles which themselves are covered with sponsors' stickers. I had no idea who Richard Mille was until I Googled it. He (or rather it) is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, many of which have a hexagon-like design and will set you back at least £150,000.
Unfortunately, because front wheel arches are printed with the silver hexagonal pattern seen on the stickers, not applying them isn't really a viable option.
Despite its diminutive size it still manages to pack in a V8 rear engine with working pistons and front-wheel steering although there's no differential or suspension.
The chassis is interesting because the rear one-third of it is connected at a very slight angle -- about 5 degrees or so -- to the front.
The completed model
The completed model measures 30cm x 12cm. The real vehicle is 474 x 215 which thus makes the scale 1:16 length-wise and 1:18 width-wise and as you'll see below it does look too narrow.
The different angles within the chassis are visible here: the piece below the GTR sticker does not line up horizontally with the piece to the right of it. It's very subtle, and as you can see it makes the front of the car point downwards towards the road, which is realistic.
Steering is facilitated solely using the gear wheel on the top of the cockpit.
The perception of narrowness is not helped by the doors which are inset from the vehicle sides by two units, when one would have been sufficient. As it is, the design would not allow for that, though.
They do, however, open to reveal the interior containing two seats and a dummy-steering wheel.
I'm not a fan of System parts in Technic sets, so I appreciate that there are not many in this one: a few tiles and curved sloped here and there, and 1x2 panels forming what looks like a giant heat sink at the back.
Here's how it compares to 42125 Ferrari 488 GTE 'AF Corse #51', which is over 3-times the price but only double the number of pieces.
Verdict
I seemed to have complained about it quite a lot but actually I do like it. It is too narrow, but when viewing from most angles that is not an issue, and it's a pretty good rendition of the car given the size and Technic part constraints.
I also appreciate the smaller scale: big is not always better, particularly when it comes to trying to display a large collection! This one will fit just about anywhere.
It's available now at LEGO.com priced at £45/$50/€45 which is a pretty good price for a licensed 850-piece set.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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41 comments on this article
"Oh hai, would you like some LEGO with your sticker set?"
Looks pretty neat and that price per part is amazing! Plenty of cool details squeezed into a relatively small set, which might scratch that supercar-for-display itch for a lower budget than the £320 Chiron.
Blue is also a good shout for the main colour because it makes the compulsory blue pins more bearable, though it's a shame that the axles are brown (and that the rear axles are different colours). But that's a really minor niggle.
Nice car. The axles annoy me a little as does the gear on top. But other than that I like it.
The heatsink is a diffuser :)
"which are illegal to drive on public roads"
Buddy if you have enough money to spend $1.65 million on a car, laws don't apply to you
@sirventricle said:
"Looks pretty neat and that price per part is amazing!"
Actually, no it isn't.
Remember, about half of the piece count consists of pins and 1x1 pieces which are worth next to nothing, costing less than 1 Cent each on Bricklink.
Historically, Technic sets had far better price to part ratios for this very reason, but now that TLG seems to think they have to turn Technic into a theme of licenced "display" models (which is the complete opposite of what Technic was introduced for in the first place), the price to part ratios are far less favorable.
@Huw : Does "This one will fit just about anywhere." mean that it also fits well in 42098 Car Transporter?
Thank you for the review and the work of the Brickset team as a whole, looking forward to using this brilliant resource in 2021 too!
@The_Cellarer said:
" @Huw : Does "This one will fit just about anywhere." mean that it also fits well in 42098 Car Transporter?
Thank you for the review and the work of the Brickset team as a whole, looking forward to using this brilliant resource in 2021 too!"
It should...
Oh yeah, Happy New Year everyone!
@AustinPowers said:
" @sirventricle said:
"Looks pretty neat and that price per part is amazing!"
Actually, no it isn't. "
It's literally the best ppp of any Technic set since 42055, four years ago, and that was £190 (and on par with 42098 at £140). In fact, it's the 19th best ppp of any Technic set for which the Brickset database has a ppp, which is a pretty damn good record. For £45, sign me the hell up.
@The_Cellarer said:
" @Huw : Does "This one will fit just about anywhere." mean that it also fits well in 42098 Car Transporter?"
That is my question as well!
It does, although it looks a bit long in comparison:
https://images.brickset.com/news/54486_20210101_163148.jpg
What ever happened to the LEGO in the car.
All I see is stickers.
@Huw said:
"It does, although it looks a bit long in comparison:
https://images.brickset.com/news/54486_20210101_163148.jpg "
Thank you for the photo Huw, much appreciated. I do agree, it does look quite long compared to the included generic sports car in 42098 and - by default - the 42093 Corvette as well. Did not realise the Senna was that long... Still getting it, though!
decent small size set for a very reasonable ppp. the stickers though.... :(
I like the further background details and the comparison photo with the real car at https://www.lego.com/en-ch/aboutus/news/2020/november/mclaren-senna-gtr
Visually TLG have done a great job on the rear and sides although unsure about the system pieces on the bonnet. Should be a great companion to the Corvette, which was extremely popular with kids, and will help me full up the car transporter now that I know it fits although I may wait a while as $50 is only £37 and not £45.
@bananaworld said:
"
"Oh hai, would you like some LEGO with your sticker set?""
Compared to the 42125 Ferrari 488 set this one has relatively few stickers :P
@AustinPowers said:
" @sirventricle said:
"Looks pretty neat and that price per part is amazing!"
Actually, no it isn't.
Remember, about half of the piece count consists of pins and 1x1 pieces which are worth next to nothing, costing less than 1 Cent each on Bricklink.
Historically, Technic sets had far better price to part ratios for this very reason, but now that TLG seems to think they have to turn Technic into a theme of licenced "display" models (which is the complete opposite of what Technic was introduced for in the first place), the price to part ratios are far less favorable. "
It also has various large panels, wheels, and arches, and I’m sure the size of the model is consistent with similarly-priced sets from the past, which, at least to me, reflects value better than PPP. And the Technic sets have changed as the market has changed. LEGO doesn’t make sets for no reason, they make sets that will sell. Technic sets still have more functionality than most others, they have simply evolved to look more detailed and complete, so that they’ll look better on a shelf. Like it or not, Technic sets are targeted at teenagers and adults who are more likely to buy a nice display model with pistons and steering than a skeletal but mechanically impressive chassis.
Nice review and set!
Another reason to buy this set would be if part of the profit/license rights is given to the Ayrton Senna Institute, a NGO founded by the Senna family to support children education in Brazil. I think it is the case here, but just to confirm, is there any indication of this in the box or instructions?
Too many stickers for me! Easy pass!
Can you add a pic of the part list in the booklet, the blue section? Its not in the database of this site yet.
I am thinking about getting this set and some extra orange pieces to replace all the blue ones. That way I don't have to apply all the nasty pattern stickers because of the front mudguards having them printed on already. And orange is a much nicer color anyway! Only downside would be the extra piece costs, but I think it'd be worth it.
When I was first getting back into LEGO I bought the giant orange Porsche second hand because I could could get a complex model to build for a lower price than large System sets typically sell for. I enjoyed the build process but I realised that the Technic car sets are not something I would invest in (I'm not a car enthusiast, as you can probably tell from not knowing the actual name of the big orange car in question). They do go some way to representing the engineering but they don't actually do much, unlike cranes, diggers and similar vehicles.
Technic always did have these models that didn't do a lot, but at least nowadays they look more realistic. A childhood friend had a big Technic car with a gearbox (this was in the 90s, it may have been 8880, I'm not sure) and apart from nostalgic appeal the appearance wasn't anything like as sleek as the modern Technic cars are. These sets are for car enthusiasts, which is fine as long as other Technic that isn't heavily stickered supercars also exists.
I wonder what the Creator Expert Car will be for 2021?
I got the Ferrari F40 (soon to be joined by a Lamborghini Countach thanks to Rebrickable) and the Caterham. My other half has the Volkswagen Camper. Not interested in Minis, nor the Citroen 2CV wannabe (Beetle), the Minecraft inspired Aston Martin or the boring Fiat 500. In my eyes the Creator Expert Cars have gotten worse since the Ferrari F40.
Technic is too cumbersome to use as a foundation for cars unless they're big and have lots of bespoke parts (Land Rover, Lamborghini Sian etc). The Ferrari and the smaller Corvette and this just doesn't look that great.
Why does the parts inventory at 42123 from Lego say that the Left Panel 3X5 4583697 is in dark green?
@mr_Fikou said:
"I am thinking about getting this set and some extra orange pieces to replace all the blue ones. That way I don't have to apply all the nasty pattern stickers because of the front mudguards having them printed on already. And orange is a much nicer color anyway! Only downside would be the extra piece costs, but I think it'd be worth it."
Maybe they end up in the Lego bricks ordering page.... They are probably bare blue first....
I don't like the look of Technic sets, but I am curious to experience building one. Pricing is right, this would be a great set for that, especially if it'll get a sale down the road.
@martiniman said:
"Can you add a pic of the part list in the booklet, the blue section? Its not in the database of this site yet."
Booklet is already available to download as a PDF from Lego.
@onejdmbrick84 said:
"I wonder what the Creator Expert Car will be for 2021?
I got the Ferrari F40 (soon to be joined by a Lamborghini Countach thanks to Rebrickable) and the Caterham. My other half has the Volkswagen Camper. Not interested in Minis, nor the Citroen 2CV wannabe (Beetle), the Minecraft inspired Aston Martin or the boring Fiat 500. In my eyes the Creator Expert Cars have gotten worse since the Ferrari F40."
True.
Which is why I have been building more and more alternative Creator Expert like vehicles that fit perfectly with the ones you mentioned. Especially as I am a big fan of certain movies and TV shows from the 70s and 80s I am happy to have recently built the main vehicles from The Fall Guy, Magnum P.I., Smokey and the Bandit, Knight Rider as well as Dukes of Hazzard. There's several still waiting to get built plus I am looking forward to vehicles like the upcoming A-Team van etc.
Really curious what LEGO has in store for us this year in that regard.
Glad to see it can fit on the car transporter! I think it's a brilliant capture of the form of the car and the working steering and engine are icing on the cake. Not a Day 1 purchase but definitely high on my wish list!
OMG, the sticker crybabies. Guess what, any track or race car with livery is going to have them. If you can't accept that, then don't buy track/race car sets or just don't put them on.
Richard Mille set? Run it back, Turbo
"V8 rear engine with working pistons"
Call me picky, but the car enthusiast in me dies a little every time that technique is referred to as 'working pistons'. I get the size of the actual Technic piston parts would double the size of the engine and throw the scale off, but part of me would rather have a solid engine block than the little whack-a-mole engine imitation.
Very fair review IMO, thanks! Seems like a very, very good effort of a set of this size, especially considering the complexity of the source material.
Call me crazy, but I like the Speed Champions Senna a lot more... The smaller one looks more like a real Senna than this does. I like the price but the looks... It's just not there. Same with the Corvette.
@dyskabc said:
"Call me crazy, but I like the Speed Champions Senna a lot more... The smaller one looks more like a real Senna than this does. I like the price but the looks... It's just not there. Same with the Corvette."
This is what I have been criticizing for a while now. Technic simply does not lend itself well to create display models, nor should it.
We have Creator Expert (or Speed Champions) for that. If there ever was a great hybrid of the two it was Model Team.
Can I be the first person to flag up the contradictions of a company adopting a (very, very tentative) green agenda producing so many "Supercars"?
How about writing a nice review, possibly receive a nice present from the sponsor and kindly not to even mention that Senna has no diff...
It is a car build mostly from Technic pieces, but it has NO FUNCTIONS except steering and engine.
For all you guys who write about PPP. Are you really buying Lego directly from Lego at their retail price? Really?
Let's take the usual checklist:
Steering: check (kind of, no steering wheel)
Engine: check (kind of, no crankshaft)
Opening doors: check
Suspension: missing
Differential: missing
Any other function: missing
Not covered in stickers: fail
Functions not obscured by panels: fail
No premium paid to a car company: fail
Assessment: still waiting on something that can hold a candle to, yet alone rival or heavens forbid surpass 8880 or 8448.
@onejdmbrick84 said:
"I wonder what the Creator Expert Car will be for 2021?
I got the Ferrari F40 (soon to be joined by a Lamborghini Countach thanks to Rebrickable) and the Caterham. My other half has the Volkswagen Camper. Not interested in Minis, nor the Citroen 2CV wannabe (Beetle), the Minecraft inspired Aston Martin or the boring Fiat 500. In my eyes the Creator Expert Cars have gotten worse since the Ferrari F40."
Did you saw the Fort Mustang 10265 https://brickset.com/sets/10265-1/Ford-Mustang ?
Does this vehicle have proper size for 42098 Car Transporter ?
This doesn't look exactly like the real car, but it does look pretty close (besides, the real car is a weird shape). Also, I don't think the stickers are an issue. Granted, I don't own any sets with this many stickers, but I have never had issues with LEGO's stickers and without them, this set would like quite dull. This caught my eye (largely due to the stickers) and, though I'll likely not buy this, it looks awesome.
@maver1ckpl said:
"Does this vehicle have proper size for 42098 Car Transporter ?"
It's the same width as the Corvette (which fits afaik), however the McLaren is quite a lot longer.