This car is amazing.

When you compare with the Lamborghini Sian, you realise that there isn't gaps between pieces like with lots of other technic sets. The functionalities are interesting (winch, boot with functioning "handle", gearbox with high/low mode), but it is more of an exposition set than a technic built for functionalities.

The complexity is perfect : neither to complex nor to easy, good for the price. I personally really like the colour (not to flashy like the lime green of the Sian or a bright red like the Ferrari) but it is very personal.

In my opinion, buy this, not the Ferrari 488 GTE or the Porsche 911 RSR, the extra money is really worth it.

So here goes only my 2nd attempt at writing a review. This time I have chosen the model I have probably been most excited to get my hands on in recent years, the new Land Rover Defender.

The finished set is bigger than I anticipated, even with the dimensions being readily available, and towers over the VW T1 Camper Van it is currently displayed next to.

The build itself is a really positive challenge. The complexity in the drive system is well designed and formed a good topic of conversation to a raft of multiple questions from my 6 year old son who starts to take on more of the component builds on these types of sets. A lot of work and details are put into the various drive components, suspension and chassis which actually add quite a lot to the playability of the set once completed, which makes them well worthwhile. The same must be said for the winch and the roof box that, whilst during the build I thought were a little bit too much, actually turn out be to good fun when playing. The winch has already been used towing the Lamborghini Sian around the living room!

Interior construction is a little repetitive in terms of the doors and seats but the look once finished is excellent and the doors again add to the playability. A niggling part for me is the opening / locking mechanism on the boot which is not very robust. It has a tendency to fall apart in the hands of the kids and usually results in a hunt for the small parts to put it back together.

I was pleased that the set is not massively overloaded with stickers. Whilst it would be great to have had the likes of the Land Rover badge printed it still completes the look well with the stickers. The colours work well for a vehicle of this type and the finished model captures the looks and essence of the real thing.

Conclusion: One of my favourite builds and models. I've been fascinated with the Defender for years and still have a desire to own an original Defender 90. This will have to remain the next best thing for the next few years.

I bought this set for my 32 birthday. Last time i had honour to play with Lego was approximately 18 years ago (damn i'm old :D). It was not as chellanging as it was a little time consuming regarding that i do not have a lot of free time because of the work and stuff... I managed to put it together in few day.

For the last stretch i had to push myself because i'm not used to putting things together for such long time (3 days - it's a disaster), but eventually i managed.

I had little problem with long sticker because the first layer came of, but i used paper knife and it was all fine at the end.Built it entirely in 4 day, with approximately 2-3 hours per day, which is not so bad.

Complicated, yet satisfying!

It had been a while since I last attempted this complex of a model from Technic. When the original leaks came out about this set in early summer, I was shocked as how beautiful the set appeared by the box art. Nothing about the model deterred me from yanking over the money for this model. The intense amount of details that were jam-packed into the set are unsurpassed by any other model from this theme of Lego. Land Rover is so iconic and the amount of partnerships that the Lego group has been apart of is so reassuring to the future of Lego.

What I enjoyed about the set:

• As is ever apparent with Lego Technic, the visual aesthetic of the model is unheard of. The pictures on the box that holds the model is incredible, yet does not constitute the grand beauty that beholds the model in person. The dark lime green is iconic with Land Rover and the Technic group did a magnificent job creating this fairly new color in multiple parts. The sticker detailing in the cabin and everywhere else where they are placed captured the energy of this prominent vehicle. Comparing it with the other Technic models I own, this model is something special. While building it, my father was astonished at how large and gorgeous it was in person. It is very large and dwarfs any other model that it is placed next to. Even the detail of the back tire, which has a hidden function, made the vehicle come alive even more.
• The functions that exist in the model is what makes Technic so special. The marketing for the model posited that the model had the most complex gear system ever made in Lego Technic history. I thought the multitude of functions from the 42082 Rough Terrain was confusing, but that model actually told you what the mechanisms did. The functions include: an 8-gear motor differential, Hand of God steering, door opening mechanism with the spare tire, and a winch in the engine. Hours of fun proceeded after building the model of trying to figure out how everything functioned. No amount of time with the model can compensate for how magnificently it functions. Satisfaction builds as one sees all the trials and tribulations that occurred while building lead to a powerful vehicle careening down the hallway. My favorite function is actually the winch system in the front. Previous sets had me fail at tying a proper knot for the rope and having the rope function properly. However, this model worked flawlessly and the stopping system was intriguing to operate and construct.

What I disliked about the set:

• Though I have admiration for the completion of the model, the only concern I have is how complex the instructions are. I consider myself a very experienced builder, yet these instructions made me very frustrated at times. Many of the concerns I had read about the model revolved around the reliability of the pistons firing. I knew that may arise when I was building it, so towards the end of the build I decided to attach the wheels to make sure the gears functioned properly. It took me an hour after the build was completed to finally get the gear box to fire the pistons. For a younger builder, this may cause them to give up and enlist the help of their parent to facilitate in building process. I even had to have help to figure out the problem with my dad. It was a very humbling experience to have him help me resolve the problem. For future models done by the Lego Technic group, I would recommend that the graphic designer associated with the instructions to include a section that instructs the builder to go through certain tasks to make sure the model works. I know that the Liebherr 9300 requires builders to connect the hub and ensure everything functions. I became frustrated with the model and questioned why the Technic group would not include a section to describe what the model should do at certain stages of the build, such as when the gear box is finally installed, instead of when the model is competed.

Would I recommend this model?

In this new age of complexity of Technic models, this set exemplifies the future prospects of what can be done with Lego parts. The numerous amount of intricacies that exist in the model ensure that the builder is constantly attentive and engaged in the process that the Lego designers went through. This model is a close second in terms of my favorite model of all-time, which is the Rough Terrain Crane from last year. I am very hopeful for the future impact that Technic will have for the promotion of the next generation of builders and engineers in the world. Partnerships such as this one are bridging the cultural gap between toys and the real-world. It is becoming more socially acceptable to build with Lego and more are becoming aware of how impactful this company will and has been for every generation.

I guess this set made me think a lot, because it turns out I had a lot to say about it! So if you want to know if this set is for you just read the short version, and perhaps my conclusions at the very end. But if you are interested, the long-read below will take you along my journey from not knowing what this set was to the experience of building and interacting with it.

Short version

• 3/5 Overall Rating - It's close to being much more, but playability gives it a big hit. It's a great build, followed by a "now what?" feeling. If you are a Land Rover fan, or only care about how it looks on a shelf, you can easily add one or two points here.
• 4/5 Building Experience - A very technical and qualitative build with both straight-forward Technic construction and some cool techniques used. But, it's tainted by some unnecessary frustration. Labelled as 11+ is seriously optimistic.
• 4/5 Parts - Lots of great gears, drivetrain, and suspension stuff, but generally dominated by tiny pieces. Longer beams, frames, and panel pieces are relatively few for the size of the set. Olive green looks better in person.
• 2/5 Playability - It looks great, is sturdy, and have superb suspension. The gearbox works, but only if extraordinary care was applied during building, and the tiny piston engine is not enough to showcase its functionality. The steering is a bit wobbly. Not really a play set.
• 4/5 Value for money - Not worth full RRP, but great value on a descent discount. At the time of writing I have seen it on sale for ~40% off. Probably time to get it now if you want it, before it goes out of production and the price shoots up.

Long version

I'm going really in depth here, mostly trying to focus on the experience itself and things I had not found definitive answers to before building it myself. Hopefully it can be an enjoyable read whether you are thinking about getting this set or not. And perhaps, if you already built this set, my findings can help you understand what you got.

Me and This Set

I disregarded this set for a couple of years, personally I simply didn't like the source material. Cars, yes, but Land Rover's and SUV's not so much. The 1:8 scale super cars have been tempting but a bit out of budget for me, and the 1:10 cars just seemed to lack functions. But, after a dismal unscheduled extra shift at work I felt a sudden urge to get something unnecessary to cheer me up. This set had dropped in price at my go-to store (despite recently increased RRP in my region), looking like an exceptional deal for almost 2600 pieces. Doing a bit more research I also realised how complex this model is on the inside, just to my liking. Many reviews seemed to question the functionality, but I thought that worst-case-scenario I would get a big parts pack. This is the largest Technic set I have bought in many years. In fact, (at the time of writing) there are only ten other Technic sets in history that have more parts, which I had not realised before.

Size and Scale

In short, it's bigger than I expected. In my collection to date, looking at cars exclusively, the only fair comparison I have is the 8880 Super Car and I thought the Defender would be noticeably smaller. But immediately after opening the box I realised the tyres are remarkably similar in size. The completed Defender does have a slightly smaller footprint, but occupies a similar volume. It arguably has more presence in the room and feels dense in comparison, and I suppose it should with nearly twice as many pieces.

The Defender is not quite in line with the 1:8 or the 1:10 series cars in terms of scale, but it's still impressively large. Below are some key dimensions (real car in brackets) and the resulting scale (not including the spare tyre at the back, or the side mirrors).

• Length - 49 studs / 392mm - (4323mm) = scale 1:11.0
• Width - 25 studs / 200mm - (2008mm) = scale 1:10.0
• Wheelbase - 29 studs / 232mm - (2587mm) = scale 1:11.2

The LEGO fenders are a bit exaggerated, so imagine chopping off one stud of width on either side - that would bring the width scale up to 1:10.9. So, I'd say a very well proportioned 1:11 model, albeit with a wide-body kit.

At that scale, the 56mm wheels would be 24" which is a bit larger than reality, but still looks appropriate. The tyres are the only thing looking somewhat out of proportion to me. 36mm wide at scale 1:11 would be 396mm on the real car, which doesn't come with anything wider than 275's. Nitpicking perhaps, but I think this is relevant for other than just aesthetic reasons. I'll discuss why later.

Unboxing

I had seen the box in the store before, looking very thin sitting next to even bigger sets. After getting it home I now know that it's not. It's regular thick. It just looks thin proportionally. What I had never done before though is holding it. That was the next positive surprise, it feels really dense and has almost none of that feel when stuff rattle around inside. Opening it shows why that is - it's completely full! However, pulling out the plastic bags and the loose tyres reveals a smaller inner box. It contains more bags and the manual, and has some space left over in it. Not much though. Overall, I think this must be the most well-filled LEGO box I have experienced.

There are 21 bags in total. But they are only numbered 1-4, so there are multiples with the same numbers, corresponding to the four stages of building. One bag is unmarked, containing the wheels and fenders. And, inside the numbered bags there are an additional 9 unmarked bags for the smallest of pieces, as well as two tiny boxes for a couple of rubber bands and a string. The manual and sticker sheet is packed in a tight plastic cover, keeping them well protected.

The manual is a monster of a thing, literary an entire book. It's almost 2cm thick and weighs close to a kilogram, just shy of 500 pages detailing the build in 860 steps. It's generally easy to follow, but it's an extremely complex build that requires a lot of attention to detail. Key details are highlighted, but I suspect that without rigorous Technic experience even adults will struggle to assemble this with full functionality. So the 11+ label is a stretch.

Building

The build starts with the rear axle and 4-speed gearbox in part one. It then shifts you over to the front axle, engine and transfer box as a complete separate sub-assembly in part two. Both of these are hugely complex and absolutely full of moving parts that all requires patience and accuracy. It's quite enjoyable though, with little repetition as every bit of space is used differently. As always when assembling Technic, I spend some extra time making sure gears and bushings aren't squeezed on too tight which would cause additional friction on rotating axles.

Then comes probably the most difficult and frustrating steps of the build - joining the two assemblies to complete the chassis. You have to align multiple axles, gears and frame beams as well as sort of bend the entire thing in order to slide and rotate them together in one motion. Then hold it together like that while pushing in some pins and add additional beams to secure everything in place. I felt like two hands was not quite enough for the process. Once it finally reached a more stable state I had to try and loosen up gears and bushings again, because in the doing everything got squeezed back too tight onto their axles. Only this time there's no room to get your fingers in there. Again, patience required. A lot of it.

Part two is then finished by adding interior detail like dashboard and seats.

In part three it gets much easier, focus is on the rear exterior. The chassis itself is not very stiff, it can twist quite a lot, but it stiffens as more bodywork is added on. Most is straight-forward technic construction. Sometimes multiple pins have to be aligned when subassemblies are attached, which can be a bit frustrating, but not worse than most Technic sets. There are also some very interesting techniques used. For example, a small minifig back accessory is used like a washer to get a half plate offset in order to get a panel piece mounted at an angle to perfectly fit between other pieces. Brilliant stuff!

Part four completes the build with the front bodywork and the roof-rack with accessories. The box on the roof is a purely system parts build, weirdly it uses three stacked 1x2 plates instead of a 1x2 brick for some reason. As traditional with vehicles, the very last step adds the wheels and tyres.

Playability

Aesthetics. Let's start with the good stuff. This is a premium set, it shows in the details. It's also a clear case of looking better in person. The luggage boxes, bonnet, side doors and back door all open. The latter is locked closed by a mechanism operated by turning the spare wheel, although the rubber band used there could use some extra tension (I gave mine a half-twist). The engine bay looks way more detailed than it need to be, with lots of small parts used purely for decoration. The interior uses a large portion of the sticker sheet for additional detail on the floor and door panels. The rear seats can be easily tilted forward to let you see more of the 4-speed gearbox in action underneath. And the roof accessories are quite modular and can be easily removed one by one or all together, if you want a more urban look. The HOG steering knob is also removable.

Winch. It's nicely integrated, almost to the point of being a hidden function, and it works flawlessly. Push the little lever to release the ratchet mechanism and pull the hook out through the front bumper/grille. Then reel it back in to the sound of that ratchet clicking. The knob looks like it could be part of the engine. The lever has a nice and soft springiness to it.

Suspension. Near perfectly tuned, not too stiff and not too soft. As you put the model down it sinks down ever so slightly on the springs, unlike every other sprung set I have previously encountered that just sits there with all springs fully extended. Neither does it drop to the floor like a certain 1:8 car apparently does. Having that bit of rebound makes it feel and look much more realistic when you push it around. It's mesmerising to wobble it about by just giving it some nudges in various directions. The rears are using double stiff springs while the fronts have one stiff and one soft on each corner, absolutely perfect for the weight distribution. But the fronts have been fitted with bump stops that limit the travel so much that it's a bit annoying. I suspect they did this to make sure the front tyres don't rub the fenders when being turned and compressed at the same time. However, the little bump stop assembly is easy to remove (and reattach) if you want to.

Steering. Controls are geared nicely and on full lock the turning radius is OK, it's a large model after all. However, the feel using the HOG knob on the roof is quite spongy. First there is about a quarter turn play, and then the wide and grippy rubber tyres resist turning so that parts start to flex and bend. Much of that I think is down to the design of the steering rack. It uses some additional pieces to offset the inner ball-joints from the rack itself, which adds unnecessary springiness. It's difficult to turn at a stand still. The interior steering wheel is fully functional and can be accessed with your fingers if you open the door. But it's quite flimsy, thus not very satisfying to use. Also, if you grab both front wheels with your hands and hold one fixed, you can turn the other to at least half-way of full lock - just due to the play and flex in there. It also lacks ackerman geometry, which to me is noticeable on such a large model as one wheel will be wobbling about as it's forced to follow a path not quite in line with where it's pointing. Especially in tight turns. The unrealistically wide tyres make all of this worse. I really appreciate that they are proper soft rubber though.

Gearbox. Now then. The drivetrain. The main technical feature of the set. Starting with the controls, the gear selector for the 4-speed transmission is a bit funky, but I like it better than I thought I would. In the centre console a round brick mounted sideways is exposed, when rotating that it clicks satisfyingly into 90-degree steps. It stops at the far ends, so it can't loop around indefinitely. Just in front of that is a DNR-lever (for Drive, Neutral and Reverse). In drive the 4-speed gearbox is "active", reverse bypasses everything else and in neutral the engine is disconnected from the drivetrain altogether. Next to that is a second similar lever for high and low range. This acts as a multiplier for the 4-speed box, effectively giving the vehicle eight forward speeds. If this lever is in its centre position though, all forward gears are disconnected from the engine while reverse will still work. These two levers are a bit stiff to click into position, but on the other hand they definitely stay where you put them. They are also a bit fiddly to reach with your fingers when they are in their forward positions.

When pushing the car around in gear I have none of the crackling noises that have been reported by others, and everything seem to be spinning nicely in there. So I think I did a good job of putting it together correctly. It's a matter of minimising friction wherever you can during the build, align the universal joints properly, and make sure the ends of those joints don't rub against nearby gears. There's still a hint of tension building up in the many drivetrain axles though, because some can keep unwinding momentarily after a full stop. When in gear the fake pistons under the bonnet do move when pushing it along. But, it's been geared to turn the engine so slowly that there's not really all that much happening under the bonnet.

At first, I thought the stickers applied to indicate what is HI or LO range, and what is + and - for the gear change, were inverted by mistake in the design. Driving a car at a given speed I expect the engine to be running a higher RPM in low-range and lower (-) gear, but it's the opposite here. My next thought was that you could just apply the + - sticker the other way around if you wanted to. But for HI LO the writing would be upside down with that trick. It's also not really possible to reverse the actual mechanics of the HI LO lever. It's engaging either a Z20 or a Z16 gear wheel, and there would not be enough space for the larger gear where the smaller one just fits between other components. Then I noticed that reverse gear is also turning the engine very slowly, like a higher gear normally should. This made it clear to me that it's simply been designed this way - to have the piston engine run faster the higher gear you are in. Which is completely backwards. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the result of user feedback from people not knowing any better. In my opinion LEGO should have stayed realistic and used Technic functionality as a way to educate and show how things really work. Why do you use a higher gear in your car when driving faster, and a lower gear when parking?

Anyway, in what I consider to be low range and first gear (HI and + according to the stickers) there is about one revolution of the engine for every 10cm of driving. In the highest gears (R, or LO and -) there is about one engine revolution for every 80cm of driving. That's barely noticeable. At all. And if you decide to push the car back and forth, like you would if testing it on say a table, there's an absolute ton of mechanical backlash before the motion reaches the engine all the way from the tyres. So the engine will just sit there doing nothing no matter what gear you are in. There's also no real way of seeing which way the engine is turning, so reverse is kind of redundant. The pistons also rely on gravity, so it won't work unless it's upright.

So, it kind of works as intended. I'm just disappointed they didn't intend more. If you've ever done some playing around with building stuff with gears, especially in LEGO, you quickly realise that you should avoid gearing something to slow down and then back up again. You want to only do the minimum amount of gearing from input to final output. There's just too much resistance building up otherwise. And to minimise back-lash you want gear shift rings to spin relatively fast. The gearbox design of this set is pretty much the opposite of that. It takes the slow rotating axles from the very large tyres and gears it down to move even slower in the transfer box. Then, depending on the selected gear, it slightly speeds things back up again before reaching the engine, causing tension.

I'm sure they tested and iterated through many designs, and I'm not saying it's easy to do any better in the available space. But it simply falls short of what I expect from an otherwise very well polished high-end set. That many people have had problems assembling it correctly is troublesome, though I would say it's not because of the instructions but the design itself. It requires too much precise positioning of gears and such, you can't just push them on all the way on the axle everywhere, and it has to be continuously adjusted while you can still reach in there. And as a customer you just have to know that.

Conclusions

This is a technical and challenging build. Like really technical, although only in the first half. It's a fun experience, but unfortunately it's not very rewarding.

It really bugs me that the gear ratios, including reverse gear, are inverted in terms of speed! And particularly that the whole thing results in such a slow and miniscule motion of the tiny-piston inline-6 engine. For smaller sets without gearboxes that type of fake engine is great for adding a point of interest. Like in 42093 for example, where the engine is also set up to run faster, and with two additional cylinders giving it an even smoother motion. But this set convinced me that more is required to showcase something as complex as this. You really need a continuous motion showing, as opposed to the pistons just popping up briefly once per revolution. I would personally have preferred a full-size-piston inline-4 engine, which I reckon could be accommodated in the same space. Preferably with a cooling fan or a flywheel or something that really shows direction of rotation too. That would have been a more satisfying end-result of that intricate gearbox doing its thing, and it would work when holding the model on its side too. Although I do admit the smaller piston engine is more realistic in scale, and looks better when on static display.

And that is, despite its wonderful internal complexity, what this model does best. It looks excellent. If you love Land Rovers in particular this is a brilliant set. After all, most of the time it will likely be a display piece anyway. But considering this is a high-end Technic set, I honestly think this should not have passed through LEGO's internal testing and been released in its current state. The transmission needed another iteration of refinement. And somebody should have stepped up and opposed the inverted gear ratios!