Review: 76904 Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A
Posted by CapnRex101,
Numerous renowned racing series are available throughout the Speed Champions selection and new examples appear fairly frequently, assuring superb variety. Drag racing is certainly welcome and two specialised vehicles, achieving fantastic speed, are therefore provided here.
Despite exhibiting several shared qualities, both vehicles differ considerably in appearance. 76904 Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A appears accordingly interesting, especially because the excellent Top Fuel dragster includes sensational detail and definitely surpasses earlier LEGO dragsters.
Minifigure
Drivers are provided with both vehicles, wearing completely different racing attires. The male minifigure is intended for the Dodge Challenger, according to packaging images. That seems somewhat odd because his orange shirt displays Dodge's famous 'Angry Bee' emblem which decorates the Top Fuel Dragster, rather than the classic Dodge Challenger.
Nevertheless, this branded shirt looks superb and the double-sided head, belonging to Duke DeTain, works nicely. The female character features comparable detail, although her overalls appear more modern and share their colours with the Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster. I love the yellow stripes and subtle stitched patterns, accompanied by Dodge symbols at the centre.
Both minifigures include black helmets with opening visors and alternative hair elements are provided too. These are relatively common but look reasonable and the black component fits inside the Dodge Challenger, unlike several examples released during 2020. The female hair element cannot fit inside the Top Fuel Dragster, although one should probably sport a helmet when driving a dragster!
The Completed Model
Dodge has appeared previously in the Speed Champions theme, represented by 75893 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. Comparisons have accordingly been drawn between this Dodge Challenger T/A and the equivalent Dodge Charger since both vehicles originate from 1970 and share visual similarities. Their angular designs are especially consistent.
However, their respective sizes are substantially varied. This model measures nearly 17cm in length and reaches eight studs wide, matching other recent Speed Champions cars. Additionally, the Dodge Challenger is bright purple! This livery is completely unique within the Speed Champions theme and looks wonderful. Several new elements are therefore available here, including purple 2x2 tiles and 2x4x2 wheel arches.
The purple and black livery, officially known as 'Plum Crazy Purple', was available during 1970 and distinguishes this model among other cars. The black stripe through the centre is correctly positioned and those on either flank also correspond with the original vehicle, nicely combining black elements with clear-backed stickers to create a continuous stripe.
Chiselled shapes have become inherently associated with Dodge, particularly around the radiator grille which is beautifully rendered here. The clever use of purple tiles to enclose the headlights and radiator is marvellous and I like the round headlights as well, further replicating the source material. The trans-orange indicator lights, located beneath the headlights, appear equally authentic.
Unfortunately, the shaping does deviate from the original vehicle in some important respects. Subtle curvature should continue above the wheel arches and around the doors, although no appropriate elements are available to recreate such curves. Additionally, the intake above the engine appears slightly too prominent, but I consider that excusable given the modest scale.
As usual, the doors cannot open but the roof is removable, revealing dark bluish grey seating inside. These seats look relatively basic but accommodate minifigures neatly and the controls seem adequate, comprising the steering wheel and gearstick. One aspect of this model which does disappoint is the door mirror colour because I believe they should be purple, based upon reference images.
New wheels have been launched this year, featuring narrower dual-moulded tyres than other Speed Champions sets. Dedicated inserts usually accompany these wheels, although printed 2x2 dishes are more suitable here. These metallic silver dishes, decorated with accurate black designs, look outstanding and an extra dish is included. Moreover, both exhausts demonstrate impressive realism beside the tyres.
Extensive detail continues when viewing the Dodge Challenger from behind, where trans-red tiles depict the characteristic rectangular lights. Suitable branding appears between these two lights and another sticker adorns the spoiler. The yellow number plate is fittingly positioned too, integrating an inverted 1x2 slope. In fact, the whole lower section is attached upside down.
LEGO has released numerous Top Fuel Dragsters at different scales, although the enormous Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster is unlike any previous examples! The spectacular scale permits extensive detail and the vehicle looks accordingly excellent, measuring 34cm in length, with the adjustable rear wing excluded. The size beside minifigures therefore seems extremely large, although it does correspond with other vehicles.
The proportions appear accurate when compared with the source material, featuring a fittingly elongated nose and low ground clearance. The black and yellow colour scheme looks realistic too, although certain alterations have been implemented to these graphics. Numerous stickers are accordingly necessary, although I was delighted to discover that the cockpit is printed.
Dragsters traditionally include narrow front wheels, represented here by spoked components which were developed for LEGO wheelchairs. Their shape and size look reasonably accurate, although the bodywork shaping between the wheels could be enhanced. This structure seems comparatively bulky towards the front and I dislike the visible dark bluish grey plate beside the wheels.
An attractive honeycomb pattern adorns the nose section, comprising eleven stickers across curved slopes and tiles. Lining up the designs is surprisingly simple and they look marvellous when combined, reflecting the 'Angry Bee' brand from the original dragster. The yellow details near the cockpit are particularly appealing, occupying numerous hexagonal cells.
Despite appearing comparatively simple from outside, the internal construction is interesting. Stacked 1x2x1 bricks with studs on three sides are arranged inside, creating a spine through this entire vehicle which is strengthened using tiles around four sides. The bodywork appears perfectly smooth and the yellow tiles underneath are effective, forming authentic stripes. The upper layer is connected using clips immediately in front of the cockpit.
Dodge branding appears prominently along both flanks, alongside an enormous 'Angry Bee' emblem. A similar design adorns Leah Pruett's Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster that participated during 2019, although that bee was significantly smaller. However, I like the enlarged version and matching symbols decorate aerodynamic panels which protect the engine.
These bee and honeycomb designs continue across the cockpit canopy, which opens using hinges. Yellow decoration continues inside, where there is sufficient space for one minifigure. The cockpit is relatively tight, although this corresponds with conventional Top Fuel Dragsters, where weight and space are inevitably restricted.
The most dramatic distinction between this dragster and previous versions is undoubtedly the engine detailing. 1x1 round plates with bars depict exhausts while flexible reins form authentic cables, connecting the supercharger. The light bluish grey elements beneath this supercharger appear somewhat out of place though, among the black pieces.
Mechanical detail continues onto the opposite side, where twin fuel pumps are located beside the exhausts. The support structure under the spoiler looks fantastic, although I was surprised by the omission of a wheelie bar. The vehicle arguably looks better without the wheelie bar but that would definitely have been appreciated, as an option.
Enormous rear wings are an integral feature of Top Fuel Dragsters and this example satisfies that requirement. The whole wing is mounted on four struts which appear appropriately fragile, although they are robust and permit some articulation. Unfortunately, my least favourite aspect of the model is probably the rear wheels. Their diameter and width appear comparatively small and a unique tyre should perhaps have been employed instead.
Overall
76904 Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster and 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A comprises two completely different vehicles, appealing to unique audiences. The execution of both models is impressive in my opinion, although potential for some improvement remains in each case. The aforementioned rear wheels of the Top Fuel Dragster are especially disappointing and broader racing tyres would have been beneficial.
However, the bodywork shape on the dragster looks superb, complemented by the honeycomb decoration. The purple colour scheme across the Dodge Challenger is splendid too, although I find the increased width slightly less effective for classic vehicles than with modern supercars. Moreover, the price of £49.99 or $49.99 feels somewhat expensive to me. Nevertheless, both vehicles are enjoyable.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
117 likes
41 comments on this article
Very cool set for the Mopar/muscle car/drag racing enthusiasts out there.
It’s probably just me, but when I saw this set, 76012 popped into my mind.
Nice set, and I love the purple of the Challenger. Yeah, I agree it's a little pricey. That sure is a long name for the set, too! A mouthful!
Whoa, have they ever printed on the windscreen piece before? I really hope this means they'll stop asking me to put stickers on my A-wing cockpits...
The Challenger looks so much better in 8-wide than similar cars in 6-wide. The dragster is still a real puzzle - even with the cutaway view, I can't quite figure out how the slope is done.
@iwybs said:
"The Challenger looks so much better in 8-wide than similar cars in 6-wide. The dragster is still a real puzzle - even with the cutaway view, I can't quite figure out how the slope is done."
I think it's simply a hinge at the cockpit end, and then sits loosely, resting on the blue tile and a black 2x2 boat stud.
Looks a bit like an x-wing!
The reason the bee is on the orange jacket is probably a reference to the original Super Bee cars made from 68 -71
Huw can you take a pic of the dual molded tires? I can't really tell the difference between the new and old ones based on the pics
This is a $40 set, no question, but I tend to look at most RP as just the starting points now…all of them are just marked up. My days or Day One purchases are long gone I think.
Set looks great though, I’m looking forward to getting the new SC stuff when I see them get at least a 20% decrease.
Love the muscle car! Wish TLG would have just made that into a set without that drag racer.
Not a huge fan of the drag racer, it's too big
I like both the Challenger and the dragster, just a shame of the rear tyres indeed. See if I can fit in a Buwizz and two L-motors.
Rex raises a good point...do you think the inability of the minifigs to fit in the vehicles without their helmets is Lego's passive aggressive way of saying a helmet should always be worn while driving these vehicles?
Bonus points for perfectly aligning the barely-visible printing on the back of the clear 1x1s used for the headlights. I've incorporated this technique myself in the past couple of years. It takes extra effort, but to the discerning eye, it's totally worth it cuz it looks great when it's all lined up!
Interesting colour choice for Challenger indeed. Purple is best known for the 1971 T/A model, which this one seems to be based on. Wish they would've done an R/T...
Okay, so, the Challenger is pretty cool, but the back tires on that dragster are TINY!!!
They should be double the size at least! There's nowhere near enough grip with those small things.
If I Buy this you know I'm Making it The jokers Dodge challenger!
And a Bat Dragster.. lol
The rear tires on the Top Fuel dragster are definitely too small. Still, seeing NHRA/drag racing represented is nice and I will probably pick this set up at some point (hopefully around the $35 price point). As a racing fan myself, I would have loved a set with the Top Fuel car and a Funny Car instead though.
While not stating specifically in either case, I think an argument can be made that the female minifigure from 76904 and the female driver minifigure from 75893 both represent Leah Pruett, meaning she now has two minifigures to her name.
Wow, the Dodge Challenger looks amazing! Brick built lights are always good, and those printed hubcaps are sweet. I can't tell if the grill is printed or not, but hopefully it is. Oh, and that Angry Bee track jacket torso is awesome! I really wish I could just buy this one for $20 though. I still don't get why Lego thinks two cars together should cost more than two separate cars, and as usual there's one cool car and one I don't really care for. I'll still probably get this one though.
The Challenger is FANTASTIC. I really wish it were a standalone model because the dragster doesn't appeal to me that much.
Those dragster rear tyres? Laughably tiny. Destroys the whole proportions.
Indeed, everything looks fantastic except the dragster's rear tyres. The funny thing though is that they are not that far off in size. When standing still, a dragster's rear tyres are compact and wide because of the low tyre pressure. Only when racing they become big and narrow. So when standing still, it is an accurate model. So make sure to not play with it. :)
Imagining a Creator Expert-sized purple Challenger (Homer drool...)
How many dragster vehicles has LEGO released over the years? They seemed to be pretty popular with LEGO when I was a kid in the 90's too. Is dragster racing really that much of a popular sport? Honestly can't say I have ever seen a dragster for real.
I suppose they are easy to build and easily identifiable. If this is the first dragster in the Speed Champions series - that surprises me. It looks good though
Nice set and good review, just not for me.
Finally 8-wide classics! Must buy!
Dragster, not interesting at all, but that's the way for TLG to sell more bricks. Alone dragster would be having bad sale numbers
@pete_iredale said:
".... I really wish I could just buy this one for $20 though. I still don't get why Lego thinks two cars together should cost more than two separate cars, and as usual there's one cool car and one I don't really care for. I'll still probably get this one though. "
You probably gave the answer to your question already ;-)
Oof that is a lot of stickers, but still loving the Challenger, with a little tweaking that can be made into a Ford Torino Talladega fairly easily (if not for the plum crazy purple which was a solely a Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler color)
That side profile pic of the Challenger looks fantastic and I love those printed hubcap pieces.
Damn, this is what 76173 should have been.
@MutoidMan said:
"Very cool set for the Mopar/muscle car/drag racing enthusiasts out there.
It’s probably just me, but when I saw this set, 76012 popped into my mind.
"
Not just you.
@Mjvizcarra said:
"Bonus points for perfectly aligning the barely-visible printing on the back of the clear 1x1s used for the headlights. I've incorporated this technique myself in the past couple of years. It takes extra effort, but to the discerning eye, it's totally worth it cuz it looks great when it's all lined up!"
Same. When possible, I also align the LEGO on the top of each stud, even when they’ll be covered up. It forces me to slow down and savor the building process a bit longer.
You see, I'm thinking, I can get a 1/18 die cast for this price and it will be more accurate designwise and may even be able to fit minifigs in it. Well, that is if you're too keen on precision of your model cars and such.
I love this for the purple Challenger - the dragster looks good too but wouldn't interest me for my town but no way for that money...
I think a fun rear wheel option could be a different rear wheel from set 79101 Shredder's Dragon Bike. I know it's way too big but it would be fun to try. I switched that wheel out onto Wyldstyle's motorcycle 70808 Super Cycle chase and it fit and looked amazing.
@Edwin_Danielson said:
" @Mjvizcarra said:
"Bonus points for perfectly aligning the barely-visible printing on the back of the clear 1x1s used for the headlights. I've incorporated this technique myself in the past couple of years. It takes extra effort, but to the discerning eye, it's totally worth it cuz it looks great when it's all lined up!"
Same. When possible, I also align the LEGO on the top of each stud, even when they’ll be covered up. It forces me to slow down and savor the building process a bit longer.
"
So glad I am not the only one. I even align technic pins so that their grooves are all perfectly vertically or horizontally aligned. Well, as long as I don't harm anyone...
@Paski said:
" @Edwin_Danielson said:
" @Mjvizcarra said:
"Bonus points for perfectly aligning the barely-visible printing on the back of the clear 1x1s used for the headlights. I've incorporated this technique myself in the past couple of years. It takes extra effort, but to the discerning eye, it's totally worth it cuz it looks great when it's all lined up!"
Same. When possible, I also align the LEGO on the top of each stud, even when they’ll be covered up. It forces me to slow down and savor the building process a bit longer.
"
So glad I am not the only one. I even align technic pins so that their grooves are all perfectly vertically or horizontally aligned. Well, as long as I don't harm anyone..."
I noticed that when you align the grooves all in one direction it is much easier to then push them into the receiving bricks or elements. I also noticed that in the directions LEGO shows the grooves all aligned the same. It's not just for aesthetics, it really makes a difference when assembling with technic pins.
The Challenger honestly doesn't look much more like the source vehicle than the smaller scale Speed Champion cars did to their counterparts. And still tons of stickers. Oh well. \_(-__-)_/
@Paski:
Yeah, but do you line up the logos on the Technic pins so they're all oriented the same way?
@LEGODave70:
On instructions, it's easier just because they're probably dragging and dropping the pin on a computer program, or maybe even copy/pasting one pin into multiple pins. But you're not wrong about the effect pin orientation has on ease of connection. Pin tips only flex in one axis. If you have a row of pins and you can look down the grooves in the tips, they will compress laterally. If you can look down the grooves in the center, they will compress along the length. If you can't do either, then the pins won't compress in the same direction at all. I believe laterally is easiest to attach, since it means you can set the tips on the holes at an angle, press down to close the tip, and pivot the assembly in. In the long direction, you have to start with the pin tips all flat against the holes, and even if you're very precise about trying to compress all the tips, any variance in length will screw it up. And if the orientations are all random, you're basically going to be in for a fight.
None of this would be a problem if the pin tip was redesigned to make the leading edge of the tip more conical. This would help them self-center, and make them compress with even the slightest bit of pressure. There are quite a few parts that have been designed over the years that have hard edges that make it more difficult to attach parts, but which weren't immediately obvious when the parts were designed. Old clips started out this way, but have pretty much all changed to the modern C-clip design (the saddle might be an exception). Minifig hands also have fingertips that could use a redesign to make them more in line with the C-clip. When all bars were ABS (including the original yellow Castle's swords), this didn't really matter, but once minifig accessories started being produced in PE, these edges can actually dig into the grip instead of causing the hand or clip to spread open.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Paski :
Yeah, but do you line up the logos on the Technic pins so they're all oriented the same way?
"
Thanks for adding another thing I can be OCD'ing about, Dave. :D
Challenger looks nice. Too bad it comes in such an expensive set though...
@PurpleDave said:
" @Paski :
Yeah, but do you line up the logos on the Technic pins so they're all oriented the same way?
@LEGODave70 :
On instructions, it's easier just because they're probably dragging and dropping the pin on a computer program, or maybe even copy/pasting one pin into multiple pins. But you're not wrong about the effect pin orientation has on ease of connection. Pin tips only flex in one axis. If you have a row of pins and you can look down the grooves in the tips, they will compress laterally. If you can look down the grooves in the center, they will compress along the length. If you can't do either, then the pins won't compress in the same direction at all. I believe laterally is easiest to attach, since it means you can set the tips on the holes at an angle, press down to close the tip, and pivot the assembly in. In the long direction, you have to start with the pin tips all flat against the holes, and even if you're very precise about trying to compress all the tips, any variance in length will screw it up. And if the orientations are all random, you're basically going to be in for a fight.
None of this would be a problem if the pin tip was redesigned to make the leading edge of the tip more conical. This would help them self-center, and make them compress with even the slightest bit of pressure. There are quite a few parts that have been designed over the years that have hard edges that make it more difficult to attach parts, but which weren't immediately obvious when the parts were designed. Old clips started out this way, but have pretty much all changed to the modern C-clip design (the saddle might be an exception). Minifig hands also have fingertips that could use a redesign to make them more in line with the C-clip. When all bars were ABS (including the original yellow Castle's swords), this didn't really matter, but once minifig accessories started being produced in PE, these edges can actually dig into the grip instead of causing the hand or clip to spread open."
That is good advice, especially when making a connection with multiple pins in a step. Orienting them laterally sounds to me like the way to go as you explained. I will definitely be placing the pins using your method-it will help to cut way back on the frustration I have at times when building with technic pins.