Set Review ➟ 42123 McLaren Senna GTR™
A few weeks ago we published a press release about this set, and today we can finally show you what the McLaren Senna GTR looks like from up close.
But let's take a step back… There are no surprises on the front of the box, but the rear already provides a few more clues of what we will find inside.
Inside there is a single instruction booklet and a sticker sheet. Mine came somewhat bent, but essentially unharmed. However, applying the stickers was a different story. You may be aware that I am not usually a big fan of stickers—the fewer the better. However, my problem this time around wasn't so much the amount of stickers as the pre-cut. Normally you can safely take any of the stickers of the sheet. This time around I tore 2. Fortunately I was able to apply them in such a way you won't notice it, but I had to be extra careful when taking the remaining stickers of the sheet as quite a few were not entirely loose from the surrounding paper.
The build as outlined in the booklet goes through 3 stages. Stage 1 builds the chassis and mechanics, stage 2 the rear with some nice angles and stage 3 the front bodywork. There are 2 numbered bags for each stage.
The bag for stage 3 shows an interesting printed part: 2 mudguards (printed with mirror images) that are exclusive to this model.
The first steps in this model serve to build the front of the chassis. The steering mechanism can be clearly seen and you can already guess where the HOG will go. . An interesting detail in this stage are the blue angle connectors on either side of the chassis that will later provide the required angle for the dashboard and steering wheel.
The second half of the chassis contains the engine: a V8 with 3L axles as pistons, like we have seen in several models before. The V8 configuration immediately made me think of the 42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 which has this same engine configuration under the hood and is roughly the same size.
This essentially concludes the mechanical part of this build (the HOG is still incomplete, but that's a minor detail) and we move on to giving the car its characteristic shape.
Another detail that may have escaped notice is the curved shape of the chassis. The below image is not curved perspective, the chassis is not straight and the rear half is attached to the front part as a slight angle.
There are more angles on the way in the bodywork, specifically the angled beam over the engine.
Time to "dress" the rear part with a big spoiler and some panels to make it come alive.
The dashboard is also put in place and the steering wheel comes at a nice angle this way.
Time to finish the front and finally use those new printed mudguard panels. Can you spot the toughest to place sticker in the set? There is no "correct" alignment for the Union Jack—it drove me crazy :)
The front also takes its fair share of stickers to make the model as similar to the original model as possible. One little detail is still missing. Can you spot the difference?
If you are a careful observer you will have noticed the second image has the HOG in place. The HOG is built as a complement so it won't "damage" the looks of the car if you have it on display, but will work nicely albeit with a pretty big turn radius.
One more "mechanical" detail I haven't mentioned yet: the doors:
LEGO calls them dihedral doors. I prefer butterfly doors. It spaks more to my imagination.
So how good is this model? Well, I mentioned the 42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 before, which is in the same scale so let's put them side by side and see how they compare to give you a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of this model.
First off a top view. The McLaren Senna GTR is a little longer than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, but more importantly, the model is significantly more complex when it comes to the bodywork.
The engine in the McLaren appear to be hidden, but that's just because of the angle of the picture. Seen from the side the engine is in clear view. The Corvette doesn't have opening doors and the steering wheel is at a 90º angle. It is also much more of a street car than a racing track model—you decide if that is better or worse.
Looking at the rear, the McLaren... is much harder to take a good picture of :D
Comparing these two models turned out to be harder than I initially thought. The McLaren is built with much more attention to detail and technique. The 42093 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 comes with a B-model the McLaren Lacks and there are a good number of high quality alternative builds for the orange monster. In the end it all depends on how you look at the model, If you are looking for a great looking display model, the McLaren is the better option. If you want a cool car that you can rebuild into a number of other cool models, the Chevrolet is your car.
We wish to thank LEGO for providing this set for review. The opinions in this review are not supported or endorsed by LEGO.
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