Review: 75913 F14 T & Scuderia Ferrari Truck
Posted by DrDaveWatford,
The enduring LEGO Racers theme took a short break in 2014 but it’s back with a bang in 2015, rebranded and reskinned as Speed Champions. A total of seven Speed Champions sets have recently hit the shelves, with more rumoured to be coming later this year. Huw and CapnRex101 have already brought you reviews of some of the smaller sets, and today I’m going to be taking a close look at the largest offering in the first wave, Set 75913 F14 T & Scuderia Ferrari Truck.
Scuderia is the name of Ferrari’s racing division, and LEGO have produced a number of sets featuring Scuderia support trucks over the years, including Set 8654 Scuderia Ferrari Truck from 2005, Set 8185 Ferrari Truck from 2009, and more recently, the Shell polybag Set 30191 Scuderia Ferrari Truck. So how does the latest version stack up? Read on to find out…
Box & Contents
The box is 53cm (21”) wide, 28cm (11”) high and 9 cm (3.5”) deep, and consistent with the current tendency by LEGO to shrink boxes, it feels heavy for its size. The front of the box features a shot of the set contents spread out over the pit lane while a blurry crowd of minifigures looks on in the background through a chain fence. The obligatory Speed Champions branding occupies a wide strip above the set image, and a Ferrari logo peeks out from the bottom right corner of the box.
The set’s six minifigures are shown at 1:1 scale on the top of the box, while various play-features are highlighted on the back of the box alongside a picture of the 2014 Ferrari F1 car which provides the inspiration for the F1 car in the set. Why the 2014 car? I’m assuming that the 2015 car - the SF15-T - wasn’t finalised in time for the set (and sticker) designers to use as a reference. A shame maybe, but understandable, and I suspect that this won’t be a big deal to the vast majority of purchasers.
Access to the box contents is achieved by cutting a couple of tape seals. The box contains a single instruction booklet, two sticker sheets and seven bags of elements numbered from 1 to 7 plus a further unnumbered bag. While the instruction booklet and sticker sheets are sealed in a bag, there’s unfortunately no cardboard backing to keep everything straight.
Much Speed Champions-related discussion to date has revolved around the stickers, and there’s no point in beating around the bush here – there are loads of them. By my reckoning, the sticker sheet above contains 39 stickers while the sheet below, contains a further 15, making a grand total of 54. Most of them are at least numbered, which makes figuring out what to stick where a bit easier, but I’m sure that the sheer number of stickers to be applied will mean that some potential purchasers will end up giving the set a miss. I suspect that LEGO will have had their hands tied to some extent here, having to accurately represent the livery of the real car in order to satisfy the various sponsors, and I doubt that it would have been economically viable to print all the necessary elements, assuming that the terms of the license would even have permitted this.
Instructions
The substantial instruction booklet is exactly 200-pages from cover to cover and close to A4 size. The image on the front cover (below) is basically the same as that which adorns the front of the box. More than 190-pages are taken up by the building instructions, and there’s also a 2-page inventory of parts and a few pages of advertising including two pages which showcase the first wave of Speed Champions sets.
The Build
Bag 1 contains the parts for the first three minifigures and their accessories, the Ferrari F14 T Formula 1 car, a couple of mobile tool vaults, and a scooter. The three minifigures (below) are the racing driver and two members of his crew, one of whom gets to ride the scooter and the other who wields the “STOP” sign at pit stops. I was delighted to discover that the minifigure torsos are printed, unlike the Ferrari-themed sets of old where we had to make do with stickered torsos; I believe that this is the first time that Ferrari-themed minifigures have been supplied with printed torsos rather than stickers – a big improvement. The racing driver, who is readily identifiable on account of his silver helmet, has a slightly different torso print to that of his crew. The legs are not printed, and all the head prints have previously appeared elsewhere.
The backs of the minifigure torsos are also printed (picture below); once again the driver gets a different torso print from his crew, albeit only by virtue of the absent Shell logo. None of the heads are back-printed with alternate expressions. I don’t recall seeing these black ear protectors before so I was surprised to discover that they’ve actually been around since 2013 and have previously appeared in a number of other sets.
The Formula 1 car is a Ferrari F14 T, which as previously discussed was Ferrari’s entry into the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship. I spotted a couple of elements during the build which are new this year, namely a black 1 x 2 modified plate with closed handles at both ends which sits between the front wheels, and the black wheel hubs.
I reckon it’s a reasonable approximation of the real car which you can see here. It’s more chunky than sleek though, and I think the back of the car is maybe a stud too short as the back wheels seem a little too far forward to me. LEGO have managed to squeeze a total of 22 stickers onto the car, which is a pretty impressive feat given its relatively small size; many of the stickers are small and fiddly to apply, so if like me you’re bothered by stickers which aren’t placed neatly, then be prepared to spend almost as much time neatly applying the stickers as you do building the actual model…
You can see the first three minifigures, the F14 T and a number of other bits and pieces built from the remaining contents of bag 1 below; accessories include a couple of mobile tool vaults filled with tools, a hand cart and a Vespa-like scooter which is the same as that which appears in Set 10243 Parisian Restaurant.
Bags 2 and 3 contain the parts for the remaining three minifigures, and the tractor unit for the articulated truck. The minifigures - two male and one female – are the truck driver and additional members of the pit crew. They sport the same torso prints as the scooter rider and ‘STOP’ sign wielder described earlier. Once again their un-printed legs are generic, and the head-prints, baseball caps and female hair have previously appeared elsewhere.
All three torsos have back-printing which feature the Scuderia Ferrari and Shell logos as was the case for the two pit crew members I showed you earlier. The two male minifigs are provided with ear protectors, and the set also includes a couple of spares. None of the heads are back-printed with alternate expressions.
The tractor unit (below) is a solid and predominantly studless build. While I think it looks good, there’s unfortunately no windscreen or side windows, just fresh air. Also, the doors don’t open, although it’s easy enough to flip off and subsequently replace the roof in order to get the driver in and out of the cab should you wish.
Applying stickers to the tractor unit isn’t anything like as onerous as it was for the F 14 T car – there are ‘only’ ten in total to stick on. As is generally the case in Europe, the tractor features a cab over engine (COE) design, and in the real truck the entire cab hinges forward to allow maintenance access. Unfortunately, while the model looks like it has a separate, hinged cab, the cab is in fact fixed and doesn’t tilt forward.
You can see the tractor unit and the remaining minifigures in the picture below; the truck driver is hiding in his cab so you’ll have to take my word for it that he’s there. Minifigure accessories provided include a walkie talkie and a stickered lap time board.
The contents of all four remaining numbered bags plus the un-numbered bag are needed to build the trailer and a selection of racing accessories. The trailer base is predictably built first, together with a small trophy cabinet at the front of the trailer. I don’t wish to be uncharitable, but given that a Ferrari driver hasn’t won the F1 championship since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and indeed that Ferrari haven’t won a constructors championship since 2008, I did wonder what the trophy was awarded for... The structure fixed to the floor about halfway along the trailer is a simple piston which you can use to forcibly eject the F1 car from the back of the trailer should you wish to do so.
The next stage involves building up one side of the trailer and then crafting and installing the first of two hinged sections that lift up to allow access to the trailer’s interior. The forward compartment of the trailer is kitted out with a keyboard and three (stickered) computer screens, while the rear compartment will provide storage for the F1 car; an image of Ferrari’s private Fiorano circuit, which is where they do their development and testing, adorns the sticker attached to the wall of the rear compartment.
The second hinged section is then built and attached over the rear compartment of the trailer as you can see in the picture below, and the roof of the trailer is completed, after which the sides of the trailer are extended downwards.
A ramp is now built and attached at the rear; when fully retracted this neatly seals up the back of the trailer. A pair of wheels, which are almost completely hidden by the bodywork, are attached beneath the rear of the trailer, and retractable landing gear which keeps the trailer horizontal when it is not coupled to the tractor unit is built further forward on the underside. Finally, a couple of spare wheels and an alternative nose-cone and front wing are attached to the underside of the forward hinged roof section which provides a neat storage solution, and we’re done.
You can see the completed Scuderia truck below. It’s bigger than I expected and looks a lot like the real truck which you can see here. In addition to the ten stickers on the tractor unit, there are a whole lot more to apply to the inside and outside of the trailer, but they do at least make the truck look authentic. The hinged sections that provide access to the interior of the trailer are nicely camouflaged in the view below, with the only obvious clue to their presence being the pair of red 1 x 2 tiles with white 1 x 2 plates underneath that you can see stuck to the side of the trailer; these serve as handles to make it easier to open the hinged sections.
Access to the interior of the trailer comes at an aesthetic cost however, as you can see in the picture below. In order for the hinged sections to open, the designers have had to leave an unsightly gap which runs for almost the whole length of the other side of the trailer just below roof level. To make matters worse, the elements used to create the hinges are only currently available in light bley, so they stick out like a sore thumb against the red of the trailer. If you look carefully at the bottom of the trailer just behind the rear wheel of the tractor unit, you’ll see a red 1 x 2 thin Technic lift arm; this acts as an unobtrusive lever to raise and lower the trailer’s landing gear which keeps the trailer horizontal when you unhitch the tractor unit.
In addition to the obvious – namely driving the truck around and making vroom vroom noises which I might possibly have done once or twice – the truck is a veritable playground. The retractable ramp, the hinged roof sections which provide access to the interior, and the piston to eject the F1 car from the trailer are just some of the play features included in the model, and you can also unhitch the tractor unit from the trailer. Then there’s the inclusion of the F 14 T F1 car which fits neatly inside the trailer, the tool vaults, the scooter and other accessories, and of course 6 minifigures, all of which further increase the play value.
Verdict
Overall I liked this set more than I had expected. The truck in particular looks great and is fun to build, and there’s enormous play potential. The obvious downside is the huge number of stickers – to paraphrase a comment from Huw during an earlier Speed Champions review, if you weren’t a sticker expert before you started the build then you certainly will be by the end. In summary, if you have an interest in the subject matter and you can live with the stickers then you’re unlikely to regret your purchase.
Set 75913 F14 T & Scuderia Ferrari Truck contains 884-elements and is available now at a RRP of £79.99/$99.99/€99.99. Many thanks to the LEGO Community Engagement & Events Team for providing us with a copy of the set to review.
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29 comments on this article
It looks like a nice set, but I'm not sure about the price. $100 is a lot for a truck, race car, and 6 pretty unremarkable minifigs. I might pick it up if I can find it on sale.
Nice review, Dr! Haven't seen any reviews by you for a while - nice to see this one. :-)
I sadly won't be able to get this, as I am limited to 2 - 3 large sets per year, and I have decided, although I did ponder over this one for a while.
Hope you do another review soon! :-D
The track map looks like the one for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka...interesting choice, would have thought Monza would have been featured seeing as it is a Ferrari branded set.
Overall, even though I'm not a Ferrari fan, I'll probably pick this up as it is a great compliment to the other sets!
@Arm51 The track is Fiorano - Ferrari's own test track.
I like this, as well as the other Speed Champions sets - £80 seems a bit expensive though, I'll look to pick it up when there's a price reduction.
@kibble - Ahh, you're right! I automatically assumed it would be a Grand Prix circuit...
Awesome set!!! I loved since i saw the first picture...
I definetly need two. One for building and one sealed for my collection.
I try to build the tractor in black and a redesigned trailer in white for my rock n roll trucking scene.
I posted a few pictures in the forum of my build. I really enjoyed it and think it's a good looking model.
Seeing the real truck, it's clear that this thing is way too big....but that's not a bad thing! I like this truck, since I like the huge truck command bases, and having it be a Ferrari racer transport is just as good. I may think more seriously about getting it now.
I live close enough to hear the cars practising for the start of the F1 season as I read the article. Sadly, LEGO missed out on the opportunity of having this in the local stores at the same time. This would have been close to a dream set for me when I was much younger.
Stickers, stickers, stickers .... Wow, do we really need to constantly revisit sticker commentary several times in one review?
You know, I don't have sugar in my coffee ... so I don't add it. Very simple, don't like stickers ... don't stick them.
Oh, but I hear you say "We'd prefer them printed". Well that's great, mention that - once - then move on. A wishlist is largely irreverent for a review.
In summary - stop whining about the stickers!!! We get the point - move on, stick or don't stick.
"In addition to the obvious – namely driving the truck around and making vroom vroom noises which I might possibly have done once or twice -" Well at least you could honestly evaluate it based on play value :P
Arguably the best-looking truck I've seen so far. The beauful lines and curves. It's probably the only set in the current wave that looks the nicest without stickers.
Is it just me or are the detachable headphone pieces a bit far from the side of the head? Not extremely practical
What are lego going to do with the Top Gear theme now that the main presenter has been suspended by the BBc for thumping the shows producer ?
@polarbomber - Actually, Top Gear belongs to BBC, not Jeremy Clarkson, so they can continue the series without him. But who would watch it without him? Definitely not me. We want Clarkson back!
Ok, now back to the topic. Great review of (IMO) the best set of the first Speed Champions wave. But not for the F14 T, for the Iveco lorry! It just looks awesome.
@DrDaveWatford thanks for another fab review.
@F1AFOL: Even though I'm generally in favor of stickers and get a bit bothered when people dwell on them, I have to admit that if sticker frustrations came up multiple times during the building and play process, then it makes sense to mention them multiple times during the review.
For the record, "scuderia" is the Italian word for "team." So "Scuderia Ferrari" literally translates as "Team Ferrari."
@DrDaveWatford - I hope that LEGO finally rectified the major flaw with the original Scuderia truck (8654) from 2005, namely the fact that the driver's cab roof could not be closed properly if the driver were wearing his cap! I've built that truck several times from scratch, and it seems like a blatant design faux-pas by the designers, especially when there are several easy work-arounds which they could have used while still maintaining the same aesthetic! This alone was my main beef with the original set, and I hope that they aren't stupid enough to have made the same mistake twice!
One other thing which frustrated me with the first truck is that it was difficult to store everything inside neatly and securely, without resorting to "stuffing" items wherever they will fit! I prefer sets which are well thought out and have a place for everything, including all Minifigures.
There are some very obvious similarities between this and set 8654, and this set seems almost identical. It would be nice if someone at Brickset (possibly @Huw?) could post a comparison article so that we can see just how similar / different the two sets are! I'm tempted to buy this set if it corrects some of the flaws of the first one, but I don't really want to shell out £80 for something I technically already own unless it's absolutely necessary. Plus it would actually be cool to see the two truck side-by-side! :)
Bought it and build it. To me, it was a refreshment to build it. Especially the truck. A no nonsense build. And my son is playing with it too, witch makes it even better!
Great review as usual.I would be lost without brickset.great great site
track map is Ferraris fiorano test track
Wow, what a detailde review! Thank you very much!
For all who don't quite understand the reasoning for certain prices, it pretty much goes like this to LEGO. The number of Minifigures, the number of pieces, and mainly the difficult of the project. Why the every Advanced Model costs so much too, especially the Death Star and the famous Imperial Flagship.
LEGO designers have done a huge work with Speed Champions, I like it
I want this so bad!
I'm just excited that we get printed torsos of Team Ferrari minifigures. Lets not forget they've been stickers in the past.