► Lego set number 10248 – Ferrari F40
► 1158 pieces, circa 5 hours to build
► Details include V8 engine, opening doors
If you’re a petrolhead of a certain age then both Lego and the Ferrari F40 are going to have been a big part of your childhood. Speaking personally, I had the latter on the wall and the former all over the floor for a good portion of my formative years. Which probably explains rather a lot, come to think of it.
Anyway, in some kind of genius move in the arena of unanticipated wish fulfilment Lego and Ferrari (it’s an officially licensed product) have got together and produced a scale model of the F40 built from the blessed bricks. It is, quite frankly, awesome.
Oh come on, the Lego F40 can’t be that good, surely?
If it’s not already obvious, I should probably declare that I am a big Lego fan. Not to the point that I have a house full of the stuff, but I do have a few kits around the place – including a hot rod that I upgraded from the included V6 engine to a V8. I mention this as a means of pointing out that Lego doesn’t always get it right (a V6 hot rod? WTF?). But in the F40’s case, it really is hard to fault.
Considering the thing is almost entirely constructed from regular Lego pieces, the detail is mega. There are Naca ducts, bucket seats, an opening front clamshell complete with representative fluid reservoir, and an opening rear clamshell that reveals a V8 engine which is properly modelled to look like the real one. Even the doors have inner skin details, the pop-up headlights pop up and there are brake discs behind those funky wheels.
The wheel finishers are amongst the few bespoke pieces, the windscreen being a notable other. Favourite creative use of existing parts? The eight tiny Lego pistols that serve as the F40’s exhaust manifold.
How long did it take to build the Lego F40?
Err, probably not something a grown adult should be admitting, but it took approximately five hours straight in a single sitting (what else are Sundays for?). The set is aimed at ages 14+ (and I’m clinging on to that ‘+’ for ever more), and rated ‘Expert’ level – but even if you’re not familiar with Lego it shouldn’t be too difficult to get the hang of.
The company has mastered the art of pictorial instructions – seriously, they’re like works of art in their own right – and rather than one big bag of bits you get several smaller ones, divided into two sections for ease of dining table management. Be careful, because you’ll really be cursing if you get to the end and find there’s a piece missing. Not that this happened to be and I had to raid the box of spares on top of the bookshelf, no siree.
Am I going to need to sit down before asking how much the Lego F40 costs?
Possibly. Lego’s online shop lists it at £69.99, but if you think that sounds like a lot for a bunch of plastic take a look around the Lego site for some perspective. In the grand scheme of Lego this isn’t much at all, especially for such a satisfying end product.
Verdict
And it really is satisfying. The finished Lego F40 feels chunky and substantial, and not at all flimsy in the way you might expect. As you put it together you really come to appreciate the sophistication of the design process, as the individual elements lock together in unexpectedly intricate ways. An icon made from an icon, and a sure-fire way to keep kids young and old quiet for the best part of a day.