My daughter has recently discovered the magic of Legos. It’s something I assumed that one day she’d gravitate towards but the question which has often lingered in my mind concerned which sets she would be interested in. It seems that anything and everything that is Lego is what she likes and it doesn’t really matter. Disney princesses, Friends, Elves, some DC Heroes sets here and there only because they might have Harley Quinn or Poison Ivy, Star Wars, Lego City . . . she seems to like them all and for various reasons.
In our various expeditions down the Lego aisles at stores I’ve occasionally eyed the Lego Speed Champions line. Maybe it was something which was more for me than it was for her but they seemed interesting but also not something that my daughter might care to play with. I’d forgone even buying a set but there are times when things do work in our favor. We might not have directly bought one but one of my wife’s co-workers picked up a set recently and in fact, he purchased three of the same ones. There is some logic to this however. The set in question also happens to be associated with the company that they work for and the reason multiple sets were bought has reason of well. One was for himself and his child, another is to be left mint in box, and the third was going to be built to display in the office. This is the one which we were given on loan to assemble.
So my first experience into the Lego Speed Champions line comes in the form of the Porsche 919 Hybrid, a car that in the real world has won the World Endurance Championship for the past three years. As far as the look when you compare the real Porsche to the one Lego has created, it’s fairly accurate. There are a few minor elements of the Lego design which don’t make it look identical to its counterpart but overall I Lego has done a great job at making a miniaturized version of this high tech racing machine.
The set itself is recommended for ages seven and up; the box itself states 7 – 14 but as an adult, I ignored the suggestion. With my daughter now having reached the landmark age of six I questioned how much she was going to put together and true to form she made it as far as getting the mini-fig but together, having me put a sticker on the laptop and digging out the wrench accessory. This wasn’t nearly as much help as I assumed I would receive and I requested that at the very least she put together the starting line light which was an easy task for her.
The car itself is a bit more complicated though not too much. With the set coming with 163 pieces it can take a bit of time, more if you accidentally miss a set like I did. On more than one occasion I questioned the build, wondering how this was all going to work out and become a car but as I progressed further I could see it beginning to take form.
There is one thing about this set that I feel it necessary to point out to parents and that is that the car does have a number of stickers that need to be applied during the course of the build. This isn’t a huge deal but there may be times when your child approaches you and could possibly need some assistance dependent upon their level of skill. As this was a loaner set which was going to be displayed, I was perhaps overly cautious, wanting everything to look perfect.
From my perspective, this was a rather interesting set to put together and obviously it’s not something that is going to appeal to just children but also car buffs, particularly those who enjoy racing and aren’t opposed to having a Lego set or two sitting around to show their dedication to the sport. My daughter meanwhile had a great time playing with the car, having other Lego characters get involved, and it was actually a bit difficult to get her to part with it. She wanted to keep it for just a few more days but I eventually managed to get it returned to its rightful owner where I’ve since seen it on display the moment you walk into my wife’s place of work. At some point in the future I believe my daughter and I will definitely be making a return visit to the world of Lego Speed Champions and seeing what other creations we can craft together.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.