MINI press release
Posted by Huw,
This press release and images were sent out by LEGO in the early hours of this morning UK time for immediate release. Normally they are sent out a few hours before they can be published which, had that been the case this time, I could have prepared the news article before I went to bed :)
Anyway, here it is, better late than never...
10242 MINI Cooper, 1,077 pieces,
US $99.99 - CA $119.99 - AU $149.99 - DE 89.99€ - UK £74.99 - DK 799.00 DKK
Take this MINI Cooper for a nostalgic drive down memory lane!
Experience the iconic MINI Cooper first hand, with its classic lines, detailed interior and fun picnic theme.
Take the iconic MINI Cooper for a drive! This beautifully crafted LEGO brick replica of the classic MINI Cooper Mk VII is full of authentic details, from the classic green and white color scheme with white wing mirrors and racing stripes, to the opening doors, hood and trunk, sporty fog lights, detailed engine and separate spare tire compartment. You can even remove the roof to access a tan colored interior with patterned seats, veneer-style dashboard, turning steering wheel, and moving gearshift and handbrake. And of course, no MINI Cooper would be complete without a picnic basket and blanket, the perfect accessories for a cozy day in the countryside!
- Features opening doors, bonnet and boot, spare wheel in separate compartment, detailed engine and 2 fog lights.
- Accessories include a picnic basket, bottle and blanket for nostalgic picnic theme.
- Authentic replica of the MINI Cooper Mk VII.
- Classic green and white color theme with white wing mirrors and racing stripes.
- Lift the bonnet to reveal the detailed engine.
- Remove the roof and access the detailed interior.
- Go on a countryside picnic with this iconic classic!
MINI Cooper measures over 4” (11cm) high, 9” (25cm) long and 5” (14cm) wide.
Available for VIPs from July 18th.
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I've added all the images and a link to the designer video on the 10242 set details page, although at the time of writing the YouTube video is still marked as private.
Thanks to Matthew who was still up past bedtime for posting the initial news :)
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42 comments on this article
Thank you Huw. Okay this is no VW camper , but I love it . Will purchase 2 . Could have made it a lil bigger for the 5 stars .
Am loving the seat pattern!
This is a very well designed set!
AND it is good to see that even TLC struggle attaching the stickers straight.. check the licenceplate:
http://www.1000steine.com/brickset/AdditionalImages/10242-1/10242_right_03.jpg
Lego Designer Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_6FCTLzvqE
OMG, now that's pretty cool!
It's going to look great next to the VW camper.
Thanks @Mcotter, that's a different URL to that in the press pack. I'll get it changed.
They used cheese slopes for cheese!
NPU
Damn! I so wanted to love this set but there's just something wrong with the windows around the back. They just don't look right.
Looks like they used a lot of Stephen Marshalls design but not quite enough...
Cant wait any longer!
Gorgeous. Day-one purchase for me.
Can we not say 'Hood' and 'Trunk' please. A Mini has a 'Bonnet' and a 'Boot'.
I do love that it even has coloured interior door panels.
^ Good point, I've changed it :)
Nice details like the chequered seats. But am I the only one who thinks that that the roof and windows look way too squared off? Not as well done as the camper van IMO.
The only complaint are the stickers
^^ No, you're not. See my comment above...
Was so looking forward to this, however the perfectionist in me feels a little deflated. Maybe when I see it in the flesh/brick that is dispelled and it's character shines through as in all real life minis
I must say that it looks really good, especially in British Racing Green.
I wonder if there will be a "mini" Mini, just like there was a mini VW last year as a promo.
There's a couple parts I don't recognize, like the clear part of the bottle and the door handle.
^ The door handle looks to me like a ice skate from Collectible Minifigures.
Nice use of the curved windshield for the tire cover. This is a really lovely set that should look great next to the VW bus set from last year.
Beautiful model! This is a really good rendition and looks even better in Earth Green and White. Love the addition of a picnic basket- Mr. PicnicBasket doesn't have much in the way of food parts and I never thought about making one that way! Anyone else spot the 1x2 curved slopes in Earth Green? They appear in the new Cragger's Fire Striker, but this has a lot more and is a nicer model overall. If I wasn't getting BSSS! for Christmas, I would probably get this. Awesome-sauce-itude.
-Bernie
Eventually I will buy this set but it reminded me more of an Autobianchi than a Mini. The attractiveness of a mini are the curves in combination with the box look. This model only has the box look. I am not a fan.
Looks really good. Just wish it were cheaper than £75, since its going to be smaller (expectedly) than the VW camper, but only £5 less.
This looks pretty bad; because it doesn't really look a lot like a real Mini Cooper.
The model is way too blocky, most especially regarding the rear window, but also along the side windows. And the roof is too flat and also too straight along the front edge.
I think TCB said it best when he wrote that the attractiveness of the Mini Cooper is in the curves combined with the boxy, squarish underside. This model is all block. The bottom (blocky) half looks good, but the whole top of the car needs a redesign to emulate the curves better.
Actually, IMHO the designer should have looked to the Ecto 1 to see how nicely the windows are built in that one, in what is a much smaller 'package'.
Hmm, it does look a bit blocky, but I really like it. I guess it's borderline blocky so it'll just be personal taste whether as to whether it's to much or not.
I'm surprised no-one's said anything about that steering wheel yet. Maybe it does look just right for a Mini steering wheel, but it's not exactly mini! It's touching the seat, how is anyone meant to get in and drive it? Surely there were better sized parts that could have been used, like maybe the one that was used in the Camper Van?
@cody6268 - the bottle looks like it's using a glass case to make the shoulder of the bottle with a couple of 1x1 round plates on top making the neck and one of the new 1x1 round tiles making a bottle cap. I can see how you wouldn't recognise it if you didn't spot that they're different parts.
Say, how many trans colours does the 2x2 round brick come in? I'd say you at least need a pale yellow and a dark red for lemonade and wine.
I had a 1999 Mini Cooper S in British Racing Green. - fantastic car. I no longer own it but I'll be buying a LEGO one!
I like it. And printed dark green curved slopes. Woot!
Yayyyy!!!
It looks too square to be a Mini. The rear window needs to be angled more, and so does the front.
@ zipsforbananas,
The VW camper vans steering wheel could be to small for this model. While the steering wheel they put in the mini might look too big, I'd rather have a steering wheel that's too big then one that's to small.
It'll be an easy fix to replace it, But I fear it may look even worse with the smaller steering wheel.
Oh, And something else: The underside looks messy when you look at the car from the sides. (Look for it in the designer video.)
This looks awesome. Gotta buy the VW now. $$$$ trickling away....
This looks really good!
But, yikes, is that steering wheel big or what?
It looks really, really good! Thought it was like a die-cast toy or something/
My analysis and thoughts: https://www.flickr.com/photos/115928480 @N03/14348775612/
Did anyone notice the windshield in dark green for the wheel covers? It looks great! Genius!
@cody6268- the door handle is an ice skate from the hockey player an ice skater from the collectible minifigures. The clea part is a sort of 2x2 round brick with a 2x2 dome on top fused together and hollow in the middle. It's used as a display case for gems or a tank for something's in a lot of the sets it comes in. Search for set 7884.
Alec Issigonis must be turning in his grave!
Nice Lego model - but Mini Cooper? Whoever was responsible for designing this creation never owned one. With that roofline he must have been looking at something from Daihatsu!!
Fail...
I cannot recall that Lego listed AU$ price with a release announcement. Nice :)
It does come off as a bit blocky. But it is LEGO (a blocky toy). I get a big Range Rover vibe from this. Maybe they wanted to blend it with the CUUSOO set that didn't pass review (doubtful I know). But it still looks similar enough to one of those compared to the Mini.
This isn't as great as the VW van, but I still like it. I will probably get it eventually, but not a day one buy. I have too many other exclusives that are ahead of this one.
Something's been bugging me for a while about this but I couldn't put my finger on it.. having another look tonight, doesn't it seem more Morris Minor than Mini? Or maybe a cut down Land Rover? I think the lack of curves (tho' they'd be hard to represent in this scale) really stands out unfortunately.
Maybe (hopefully) I'll change my mind when I see it in person. Love the chequered seats!
$120 seems steep for such an awesome picnic basket. Good thing a car comes with the box.
The Mini is no more 'blockier' than the Camper Van. At certain angles the Camper is way off. I don't see a Land Rover when looking at the Mini though. Perhaps it's the flat windscreen? Apart from that, it's instantly recognisable as a Mini Cooper to me... I drove one for three years :-)