When the previews for the ‘Ultimate’ Technic 42056 Porsche were circulating, I was certain that I’d buy one, as a Lego fan and petrolhead; even though I’m not overly fond of the Volkswagen Beetle Sport…. a review was promised in short order.
Well, here it isn’t – for a couple of reasons.
First, LEGO pulled it from sale before it was even offered, to fix a packaging problem we were told. If by packaging problem they mean packaging an errata sheet in the instructions… We will see. It seems the massive weight of that doorstop sized coffee table book was crushing the boxes around it.
Second, early reviews were not encouraging, highlighting a number of reasons why this isn’t really ‘Ultimate’ in anything but price.
Technically, the steering and suspension are identical to the 42039 Le Mans car. No fancy tricks, just the basics. I don’t really care about the colour of the springs if the geometry is nothing like the real car… The flat six engine is bog standard and completely hidden. There’s plenty of space back there to have a go at modelling camshafts, say, but no attempt was made at anything above the ordinary.
Likewise, no attempt was made at any kind of rear wheel steering, a notable feature of the real 911 GT3RS. The only technical aspect that shows any ambition is the gearbox, more on which in a bit… So, if you want the ultimate Lego Technic car, stick to your 8880.
What about that much heralded build experience? It’s an idea that’s appeared before, in the 8448, which does the modularity thing a whole lot better. Since I haven’t (and probably won’t unless 42056 appears at a steep discount) built the Porsche, the jury will have to stay out on that one.
Ultimate packaging maybe? It would be if the box had a strong plastic insert to sort the pieces into and lots of pictures of alternate builds. For that, you’ll need an 853. I do understand what they mean by the ‘premium experience’ of the Porsche but like a lot of things, the word ‘premium’ just means you pay more.
Ultimate looks?
It is pretty, and the orange (close-but-no-cigar to the real Porsche’s ‘lava orange’ colour) does look good. But with its awkward gaps around the headlights and taillights, messy interior and clumsy rear end is it as pretty as the Creator Ferrari F40? Not to these eyes.
Now then, that gearbox, surely that must be the most impressive such thing in a Lego car?
If you like your changing up sequence to be 1-3-2-4 and lots of friction, then yes. A lot of said friction can apparently be blamed on this little fella:
It’s a small bevel gear assembly built in the very early stages, and the problem is that pin joiner, used as a spacer. Change it for a couple of bushes and it’s fine. Expect that to be instruction errata number 1. According to Sariel’s review on Eurobricks, there are twenty gears engaged in first gear; so don’t expect that to completely solve the friction problem. Now we know why the white clutch gear was included in the powertrain…
As for the shift sequence, this can be corrected by swapping a 12T double bevel and a 16T spur gear on the back of the gearbox, which suggests a simple error in the instructions. Or it would if LEGO hadn’t tried to tell us it was ‘to reduce friction and enhance the premium experience’ or some such tosh. According to everyone who’s built one, the positions of these gears makes no difference to the friction. That’ll be errata number 2.
If these two problems are solved – and they should be when it becomes available again – this gearbox will be an impressive feat, for all that you can still change up from 4 back to 1 and have four reverse gears. That sounds like fun. Finally, it’s possible to drive a 911 as if its engine is in the right place. Backwards…
So it might actually be the ultimate gearbox. £250 is a lot to pay for a gearbox.
Hang on a sec, it’s got a handbag as well, so there’s that… it’d better be a Hermes…
Sorry LEGO. I know you tried. The idea for an ‘Ultimate’ series of Technic models is a great one which should produce something fantastic that we’ll all love. It’s just that 42056 isn’t it. It feels like the product of two partners with conflicting priorities, rather like the McLaren-Mercedes SLR; when the 8880 felt like LEGO’s McLaren F1
I won’t be buying it but if the handbag turns to be Louis Vuitton, I might be tempted!
Perhaps if they gold-plated it…
These are exact the same reasons why I no longer plan on buying one. When the previews came out I was expecting a car as good as a lot of MOC-ers build them and I figured it’d be worth all the money, but after seeing the reviews I’m rather disappointed and it’s really one of the first times Lego has disappointed me with one of their sets.
Leaning towards the 42055 now if I want to spend all that money.
42055 looks like a much better bet, and way better value. The Claas tractor and Volvo excavator are worth looking forward to as well. But as you say, a car at this price should feel like one of the top-line mocs from the likes of Crowkillers or Sariel and this just doesn’t get close.
To my experience, and I admit it is not that extensive compared to other AFOL’s here, most of the large sets I’ve bought and built tend to have one or two issues somewhere in the constructions. Also, errors in the instruction are not that uncommon. I have more than a few times been sitting, looking at a page wondering how a piece suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
As for the complexity and similarity to the real car, that’s of course a matter of individual opinion. Personally I think this is one of the most impressive sets from LEGO ever. But again, that is purely my personal opinion.
One thing I do not quite follow in this “non-review” is the part saying:
“First, LEGO pulled it from sale before it was even offered”
The official site said June 1st when the release was announced, and it was available in the stores on that day.
Thankyou Jens for your thoughtful comment. I’ll try to address your questions as best I can :
Mistakes in instructions, while still found, are happening less often now than they used to, and correcting any that do appear is usually intuitive even to an inexperienced builder. That’s not the case here.
The complexity of this model (apart from the gearbox) is no more than is found in the Le Mans car, which is a third of the price! It’s a lot extra to pay for a gearbox and a book. At this scale, and especially given the tag ‘Ultimate’ I might have expected a bit more ambition with suspension / steering geometry, engine details etc. which AFOL builders have been putting in mocs for years. These are some of the people this set is aimed at. In isolation, and ignoring the price for a moment, I actually agree with you that it’s good technically; but it’s priced like it’s spectacular.
LEGO did pull it immediately from it’s website, showing Out of Stock with an expected ship date. Existing stocks are being sold in stores but if you’re not close to one it’s not available.
A good set to waste time fixing it and then you will have an expensive MOD…
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I think 853 was the first modular build even before 8448. Actually early 853 versions included a seperate sheet for an “alternative steering build which is even stronger”or somesuch tosh! (Basically it broke if you used it.) So the PR spin factory has been going for some time too! I would like it for the collecrion but the price puts me off. I’d pay €200 but not €300.
Hi Aidan. Yes, 853 did start the modularity thing but 8448 took it a lot further. I well remember the fragility of it’s steering system, and the ‘even stronger’ alternative. You’re right, spin was alive and well in 1977.
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