LEGO Technic McLaren P1 is good, but...

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The latest Technic supercar is a premium build experience, so long as you don’t compare it too closely to the source material.

A large, complex recreation of an impressive luxury car for the mega-rich, LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 offers everything we’ve come to expect from sets of this size and price point. For fans of LEGO Technic, there are few sets that can compete with the build experience offered here, and the result is an absolutely gorgeous display piece with impressive moving parts. The only real downside is that the set doesn’t entirely nail the curves of a real McLaren P1, which may be disappointing for automotive Technic fans.

LEGO Technic’s growing Ultimate Car Concept Series represents the pinnacle of what can be achieved with the LEGO Group’s familiar pins and gears. While there are other large Technic sets on the market, none have the clout of these supercars, which give automotive fans the chance to live out their dreams by building cars which, unless they are exceptionally lucky, they will never have the opportunity to own in real life.

Given this reputation, it’s not surprising that every part of the LEGO Technic 42172 McLaren P1 is streamlined to perfection. The packaging alone is highly detailed and delightfully inviting, setting the tone for a lengthy build that, ironically for a set based on a fast car, takes a long time to complete.

This is not the kind of build that should be attempted in one sitting, nor should builders aim to rush the process. The insertion of gears and levers, the connecting of pins and joints and bolts, all feel reminiscent of building an actual luxury car from scratch. There’s a delightful feeling to slotting together so many Technic elements and discovering how they move and interact which, while present in smaller builds, feels like it is on a completely different level when dealing with a set this large and complex.

42172 McLaren P1 is currently the largest Technic set in the LEGO Group’s active catalogue by piece count, even surpassing 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 and 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3 in its number of elements. The build, then, feels like a true premium experience; something that’s a cut above other Technic sets, even sets based on other iconic McLaren cars. This, though, is nothing new: all sets in the Ultimate Car Concept Series boast a similar level of polish. The real question is: what does 42172 McLaren P1 do to set itself apart from other offerings on the market?