I bought this set in June 2016 (over 6 months ago) when I was on a business trip in Cincinnati, OH. I was staying in a hotel near a LEGO Store and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy some new LEGO sets without having the kids with me.
I love the F-150, especially the F-150 Raptor. I’ve wanted one for a long time but they’re pretty expensive and not really practical for a family of five, at least not for my family of five. Since I couldn’t get the real thing, I bought this set. I’m not into racing but I had been waiting for the F-150 to appear in a LEGO set for a long time. Plus, I hadn’t bought a set for 4-5 months (there wasn’t anything I wanted). I had to pull the trigger.
I built this set back in June and had planned on writing a review then but I fell off the blogging wagon and never got around to it. Until now.
Read on to find out what I thought about the set.
Quick Overview
- Theme: Speed Champions
- Cost: $49.99 | LEGO.com
- Pieces: 664
- Minifigs: 4
- Instructions: 3 small books (164 total steps)
- Skill level: Beginner/Intermediate
- Build time: ~2 hours 45 minutes
Here are some shots of the F-150 and the hot rod together.
Here’s the up close photo with both the F-150 Raptor and the Model A hot rod on its trailer.
When you place the F-150 and the hot rod side by side, the hot rod looks more like a go-cart.
F-150 Raptor
My first thoughts about the F-150 is that it’s too small. I don’t think the cab is big enough. It’s a single cab with room for only one driver. I guess it makes more sense if it’s been modified for racing but I don’t think that’s the intention. Maybe I’m getting too caught up in the size but that’s the exact reason why I like the real F-150. It’s bigger than the other trucks.
The side view isn’t too terribly exciting. It’s cool how the truck sits a little higher off the ground. I can appreciate the attempt at running boards but they fell a little short, in my opinion. I do like how the truck is raised up.
What makes this truck an F-150 Raptor is the stickers. You take them away and you have one boring truck. I like the details in the grill sticker.
When you look at the F-150 from the rear, it looks out of proportion. The tailgate is pretty cool but below that is kind of lame.
The more I look at this set, I don’t like it. It’s just too small. Have I said that yet?
Here’s a closer view without the driver. Nothing exciting to see. Maybe I’ve gotten too used to the inside of Batman’s vehicles with all the buttons and computers.
Since I built this set over six months ago, I had forgotten about the tailgate moving up and down. It is a nice touch.
Another cool part of this truck is the front and back suspension. In this picture, I’m showing off the front suspension.
Ford Model A Hot Rod
As I stated above, I got this set specifically for the F-150 but I do like the hot rod and trailer.
Here’s a close-up shot of the hot rod sitting on the trailer.
When it’s not sitting next to the F-150, this looks more like a race car. How on earth is anyone seeing out that windshield to drive? The engine is blocking the view!
There is some pretty nice detail in the engine and exhaust pipes.
Here’s the inside of the hot rod. Pretty bare bones in there. Where’s the stick shift?
I really like the vintage feel from the front. It makes me think of Herman’s car from The Munsters. Anyone?
The back is very plain except for the tail lights but I think that helps with the whole classic car feel. Those tires look huge on the sides.
The Garage/Winner’s Stage
In addition to the F-150 and the hot rod, this set comes with a garage/winner’s stage double-combo.
Having been in a few mechanic’s garages over the years, I can appreciate the engine lift, the cart, the drill press, vice and various tools.
On the back side of the garage, you have a winner’s podium (stage?). One nice little detail is the race car trophy (it’s actually a golden minifig skate). Notice the steps off to the side.
Starting Lights
Not much to say about this one, other than they’re lights. I do like the use of all the different color pieces.
Red means stop. Green means go. What does orange mean? Go really fast?
The Minifigs
Just for the fun of it, I’m going to give each of the minifigs a nickname.
Racing Official – “Top Gun”
I’m not sure that this guy looks like a race official. I think he’s too cool for that. Doesn’t he remind you a little bit of Tom Cruise’s character in Top Gun?
I really like the detailed ball cap with the nicely curved brim. The sunglasses, jacket, and v-neck are all nice touches.
With all the details in the front, the back is pretty boring.
Driver #1 – “Jolly”
I think LEGO really captured what jolly looks like with this minifig’s face. I’m not sure what it is but I smile when I see this guy’s face. I know I’m saying a lot about a minifig but I think this is one of my all-time favorite faces.
This guy looks genuinely happy to be here.
I like how the beard shows up clearly through the helmet. The Ford t-shirt and flannel shirt are nice touches too.
They did a nice job carrying the flannel pattern through the back.
Driver #2 – “Captain Serious”
This dude looks intense. I guess you have to be if you’re racing hot rods.
It’s a pretty simple outfit but I do like all the blue and white.
The racing shirt is okay but I think there needs to be a little more distinction between the torso and legs.
There’s more detail on the back than on the front. That Ford logo is everywhere in this set. Good thing I like Ford.
The Mechanic – “Sweaty”
This dude is either really hot, really stressed out, or really constipated.
I really like the whole welding get-up. It would have been cool if the front of the mask flipped up like the welding masks you’ve seen in real life.
Now you can see why I call this guy “Sweaty.” Like with Driver #1, I like the flannel shirt. The welding torch and tank completes the ensemble.
Nothing exciting going on in the back.
Final Thoughts
The Good
- If you like classic cars, especially classic hot rods, you’ll really like this set.
- The set comes with 4 nicely detailed minifigs.
- There’s plenty of value for the price tag with the two cars, garage/stage, and 4 minifigs.
The Bad
- The F-150 (especially considering it’s a Raptor) is just too small for me. I love F-150’s and I hope to own one someday. I guess I’ll have to settle for this for now.
- I felt like the set relied on stickers way too much. If you remove the stickers from the front and back, it would look like a plain, small pick-up truck.
- Even though I do like the hot rod, it looks like a tiny go-kart when it’s sitting next to the F-150. It’s not nearly as bad though when you put the hot rod on the trailer. That seems to fix the “scale” issue.
Had this set not included an F-150, I definitely wouldn’t have bought it. It came out at a time when there weren’t really any sets I was excited about and I happened to be in a LEGO store. With that being said, I did enjoy building the set and I like the diversity of having something different sitting on my LEGO shelf.
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