Review: 42172 McLaren P1
Posted by Huw,
Previous models in the Technic ultimate car series have been based on current vehicles, usually the flagship of the vehicle manufacturers' lineup.
42172 McLaren P1 is different in this regard because the P1, the first in McLaren Automotive's own 'ultimate series' of cars, was introduced in 2013 and discontinued in 2015.
It is therefore perhaps an unexpected choice to represent the British carmaker in the series, although there's no doubt it's a good-looking and iconic vehicle, and its styling and curves look to be particularly well suited to being recreated with Technic panels.
Summary
42172 McLaren P1, 3,893 pieces.
£389.99 / $449.99 / €449.99 | 10.0p/11.6c/11.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The best vehicle yet in the ultimate car series
- No expense spared
- No stickers, everything's printed
- Flame yellowish orange
- Rigid chassis
- Reasonably priced
- Not overly reliant on flex hoses for bodywork
- Effect of gearbox virtually imperceptable unless tested with a motor
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The prototype
The P1 was one of the first high performance cars to incorporate hybrid technology, coupling a 132kW electric motor with a 3.8 litre V8 engine to produce a combined power output of 674kW/900hp. It can achieve a speed of 100km/h in 2.8 seconds, just 1 second faster than my electric BMW i4 M50.
Only 375 of the vehicle were produced, between 2013 and 2015, and could be yours for a mere £866,000.
Von Norbert Aepli, Switzerland, CC BY 3.0
Box and instructions
This is the flagship model of the Technic range so no expense has been spared on the packaging. The large box shows the rear of the real car on the front and the model on the back, allowing it to be displayed on the shelf in a way that makes it clear what's inside if needed.
Lifting the lid reveals a top-down photo of the real car, printed on two flaps which open to reveal three boxes printed with a top-down image of the model.
The instructions are stored in recesses under those boxes, where the elaborate design and photography continues.
The two manuals contain about 400 pages each and exactly 1,000 instruction steps. The preface to book one includes some great background information about McLaren, the car and its designers plus, of course, about the model and its designer, Kasper Rene Hansen.
As I say, no expense spared...
New parts
Except for a few large pieces, parts are packed in paper bags, numbered one to 23, and among them are several new elements.
This is a variation of the gear middle ring, introduced in 42083 Bugatti Chiron in 2018, which incorporates a 12-tooth gear.
This wishbone is arguably long overdue, as it simplifies and strengthens the construction of the suspension assemblies considerably.
This piece is also long overdue. It's used for the A-pillar on the sides of the windscreen, replacing flex-hoses or axles that are usually used.
Many of the 54 different flame yellowish orange elements in the set have been produced in that colour for the first time, and among them is this new panel, which matches the curves of similar older pieces.
There are also a number of printed elements: there are no stickers!
The completed model
Whichever way you look at it, I think it looks fantastic, particularly so because flame yellowish orange is a rare colour as far as Technic is concerned, and it matches the real vehicle's colour pretty well.
The black patches on the roof and sides break up what would otherwise be a monolithic and generic livery, making it visually very interesting.
As I keep reiterating, it seems that no expense has been spared: all decorated elements are printed, including the four you can see around the engine below, proving that LEGO can do so when it wants to!
Just about every panel in the current repertoire has been used to craft the curves of the car and, overall, I think the designers have done a great job. There are a few gaps but none that detract from the overall appearance.
The front and rear lights have been crafted with the help of flex rods. It works well for the thin LED strips that form the rear ones, but perhaps not so much at the front.
The gearbox can be examined from underneath, although seeing its effect is tricky given you need to change gear from inside the car, rotate both rear wheels together and view the pistons to do so.
The wheels are new, the tyres are those used in 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3. The McLaren logo is printed on a 1x1 round tile.
The 8x16 information plaque is also printed and -- I think -- devoid of errors!
Poor colour consistency, a problem unfortunately suffered by 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, is not an issue here, although the beams appear slightly translucent, which causes the pins in the holes to be visible in places, particularly on the side here.
Operation
This would not be a Technic ultimate car without a complex gearbox occupying a large percentage of space inside it and consuming a good number of parts, and it is said that this is the most complex one yet.
Its seven gears are selected using the paddles on either side of the steering wheel and in addition to that, there's a mode selection lever (the red one in the picture below) that switches between neutral, electric and hybrid modes.
The gearbox is linked to the rear wheels via a differential, and it all seems to work as it should but, as is always the case with this sort of model, the effect of the different modes and gears can only be examined by observing the speed at which the pistons move up and down while pushing the car along, or by turning it over to look underneath, which is not easy. To be honest, from what I can tell, the difference between gears is negligible and virtually imperceptible.
Still, I suppose it's nice to know that the car is packed with all that complexity and that you built it, even if it is practically pointless.
Perhaps just as impressive and certainly more visible are the butterfly doors, which open beautifully and smoothly, thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism hidden just in front of the rear wheels. This keeps them in place when closed and holds them up securely when open.
Equally impressive is the rear spoiler, which is raised and lowered in an elaborate movement by turning the gear wheel at the back.
The bonnet can be propped open to reveal a 'frunk', complete with a tiny vanity case.
The vehicle also has steering, as you'd expect, via the steering wheel, and suspension on all four wheels, which provides about 5mm of movement and does not compress under the weight of the model.
Construction
Despite the gearbox's complexity, I did not find it difficult or arduous to build. I was relieved to find that I didn't have any gear wheels left over at the end as it would be a nightmare to go back and find where they should have gone! The colour coded gears and axles certainly help clarify construction steps, even if they are not to everyone's taste.
The gearbox borrows technology that was first introduced last year in 42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP, including the gear shifter forks, a slightly different pair of shift drums, and ratchet gears.
The combined rear axle, gearbox and engine assembly is extremely parts-dense and heavy.
The chassis is incredibly stiff, there is no flex in it at all, unlike the Ferrari, which can be twisted with ease.
Although much of the construction of the bodywork is mirrored and repeated for the left and right sides, it didn't seem repetitive. The doors, however, are complex, and once I'd built one I did not relish the thought of having to build another.
The last stage of construction builds the rear bodywork. Although it's built as a sub-assembly that attaches to the chassis with a couple of pins, thus appearing as if it can be removed easily to view the gearbox underneath, that is unfortunately not the case because the spoiler needs to be removed first, and it's not designed to be.
Verdict
I think this is a beautiful and faithful reproduction of an iconic hypercar, with its rare colour being the icing on the cake. It improves on the last model in the ultimate car series, the Ferrari, both in terms of rigidity and operation of the gearbox, which is more complex and has benefited from recently introduced parts.
The gearbox is largely pointless, though, but I appreciate that it has to be there for the set to be worthy of its 'ultimate' moniker, and I would probably complain if it wasn't.
The shape and curves of the bodywork of the real car seem particularly suited for recreating with Technic panels, and perhaps that is one reason the P1 was chosen in preference to the British automotive manufacturer's current hypercar, the Senna.
No expense has been spared for this model, for the packaging, the printed parts and especially in creating dozens of elements in flame yellowish orange for the first time.
Priced at $449.99, £389.99, €449.99, it is not cheap by any means, but it's the same price as the 2-year-old 42143 Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the 4-year-old 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, despite having a few hundred more pieces than the latter. So, certainly expensive, but not unreasonably so.
It's my favourite of the series which, as one would hope, keeps getting better and better. Roll on 2026...
128 likes
50 comments on this article
as nice as this one looks, i just can't help but be really bored by these cars, like sure they're big and deluxe but i wanna see technic used to it's full potential, and what's effectively a scale model with very little functionality just aint it. the arocs had a gearbox, and a pneumatic crane, and so much stuff. with nearly 2000 less pieces and the fact this can't do anything at all on par with that or any other older flagships is just sad. people complained about technic making too many yellow construction vehicles back in the day but now it's just too many cars that don't do anything or justify being made using the technic system
Sorry, @Huw, but it's spelled "imperceptible".
The box doesnt look all that premium to me after the previous ones
8680 is what Technic sets should aim for, so this is clearly missing the mark ;-)
Wow, whilst not something I collect these are so impressive. I remember my elder brother getting 853 back in the day and seeing the moving pistons was a joy, but what they are capable of now is lightyears ahead, there must hundreds and hundreds of hours, sweat and love gone into the design. I hope all those who get one are overjoyed with their purchase.
Thanks Huw for such a detailed review! Really well written.
I will not be reading the comments. Extremely negative of late.
Sooo 8880 with more plastic and really progressed gearbox. Still nothing new in the last 4 years.
I like cars, but more fresh blood needed for designers. We really need more mechanic types.
Certainly the best looking one of the series so far. Quite glad that I never started collecting these!
When’s the review of the GWP set?
I like the keetorange (Flame Yellowish Orange) color used here.
Not a car guy and everything else I've already said before in the reveal article.
The door and spoiler mechanisms are probably quite nice for this type of set as well!
@MonsterFighter said:
"When’s the review of the GWP set?"
Probably never as we have not been sent it and I'm certainly not going to be buying a second P1!
While this looks good, comparing it to LEGO's other price-gouging efforts does not make it "reasonably priced," at least in my opinion. This size and scale is where better-priced alternative manufacturers excel, and while many here (wrongly) snub their nose at the mere thought of it, I would recommend that people look around at what else is out there. There are numerous fully-licensed, fully-legal, high-quality Technic-style 1:8 scale supercar models from other manufacturers that compare favorably with LEGO's efforts -- in large part, frankly, because LEGO only puts in the effort once every 2 years. I personally recommend CaDa, as their sets are fully licensed, the build experience and part quality are both excellent, and the prices are 50%-70% lower than LEGO, depending on sales.
PU
@Huw, was this fun to build and approximately how long did it take you? I noticed you mentioned that building the doors was a challenge, but I didn't know if that took away from the overall pleasure of construction, since you said it's your favorite so far.
I have built the last 2 cars, the Lambo and Ferrari and enjoyed the challenge of both. Especially after I discovered having 2 leftover gears when first putting together the Lamborghini! Whoops. That took a little while to undo that gearbox to correct my error.
This looks sensational, with the understandably premium price tag the only real downside. Definitely a more suitable subject than the Senna given its elegance and significance. Hopefully we'll get to see it lined up alongside its Technic supercar siblings (hint hint @Huw!)
@illennium said:
"While this looks good, comparing it to LEGO's other price-gouging efforts does not make it "reasonably priced," at least in my opinion. This size and scale is where better-priced alternative manufacturers excel, and while many here (wrongly) snub their nose at the mere thought of it, I would recommend that people look around at what else is out there. There are numerous fully-licensed, fully-legal, high-quality Technic-style 1:8 scale supercar models from other manufacturers that compare favorably with LEGO's efforts -- in large part, frankly, because LEGO only puts in the effort once every 2 years. I personally recommend CaDa, as their sets are fully licensed, the build experience and part quality are both excellent, and the prices are 50%-70% lower than LEGO, depending on sales."
Austin, is that you?? :)
@Huw said:
" 6x16 information plaque "
Not trying to be rude, but I think that should be 8x16. Feel free to delete this comment.
@illennium said:
"While this looks good, comparing it to LEGO's other price-gouging efforts does not make it "reasonably priced," at least in my opinion. This size and scale is where better-priced alternative manufacturers excel, and while many here (wrongly) snub their nose at the mere thought of it, I would recommend that people look around at what else is out there. There are numerous fully-licensed, fully-legal, high-quality Technic-style 1:8 scale supercar models from other manufacturers that compare favorably with LEGO's efforts -- in large part, frankly, because LEGO only puts in the effort once every 2 years. I personally recommend CaDa, as their sets are fully licensed, the build experience and part quality are both excellent, and the prices are 50%-70% lower than LEGO, depending on sales."
I know I gave this forum a nice "toodels" a few days ago due to the constant whining, complaining and just plain toxicity here, but I just cannot let comments like this slide. I do not give a dang whether people like or prefer alternative producers (even though I still think such comments have no place here and are just there to either brush the op's ego, to rile other posters up or a combination of both). But stating that CaDa sets are fully licensed is just a joke. They literally made two licensed sets (the AMG One and the Alfa F1 car), which are no longer for sale on their site so I guess they already lost the license (in fact, I actually know they lost the Alfa license). All their other Technic supercars look like the real thing but do not carry any license, as is proven by the official set names (Italian Supercar, V12 Hypercar, etc etc). They do seem to not steal MOC's and actually pay MOC'ers for their designs, so I will at least give them credit for that.
Anyway, I have zero interest in these 1/8 supercars, but I do respect the complex gearbox, the scissordoors, the lifting wing and the suspension on this one. To those who enjoy this type of thing, enjoy it and just ignore all the perceived negativity crap (here and elsewhere on the interwebs).
Toodels
@FuddRuckus said:
" @Huw said:
" 6x16 information plaque "
Not trying to be rude, but I think that should be 8x16. Feel free to delete this comment."
I wondered who'd be first to spot that :)
I will leave your comment as proof that people actually read the review and not just look at the pictures :-)
For seeing the effect of the gearbox, when I built the 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, I also could not see much difference between adjacent gears. I had to compare 1st gear to 8th gear to really see the effect.
On this model, what is the difference supposed to be when switching between electric and hybrid modes?
One word about the underneath view: whoa! This looks to be a challenging but a fun build.
My first and only Technic Super Car was 8448. It's a great set, and I'm still pretty happy with it. But if I didn't already have one and were on the market for one, this one would be a fantastic option! I'm a little more sympathetic to the gear box than you--I accept everything in a Technic model isn't going to work how it does on the real thing. If that were the case, there'd be covers over the pistons. I think the point of these models is more to illustrate the concept and not so much get all the ratios exactly right, etc. This model has a functioning, 7-speed gear box made of Lego--and that's pretty cool!
Yeah yeah, "spared no expense," that's what they said about Jurassic Park!
No, in reality it looks fantastic and the attention that goes into the packaging, instructions and model really elevates it above simple model building.
I love that you listed the Keetorange as a positive. I have no intention of getting this, but if Lego would update 75909 to eight-wide, I'd be all, "Shut up and take my money!"
@Mica86 said:"I had no idea this 'iconic' car existed lol"
Same here, I suspect it's one of those things that you have to be an enthusiast of the field (by which I mean hypercars, or at least high-performance cars, in this case) to know about.
@brickwich said:
"Yeah yeah, "spared no expense," that's what they said about Jurassic Park!"
Yeah, I kept hearing Richard Attenborough's voice in my head while reading the review.
@GusG said:
"The box doesnt look all that premium to me after the previous ones"
What are you talking about…? The box design is beautiful. You know this trolling about every new Lego set coming out is getting kind of tedious. Why not just appreciate new great Lego sets being released, and if you’re not that pleased, just sit this one out and comments on the ones you actually like. Have a great day
Regarding the other big licensed model: The 42177 G500:
Do anyone know how the angle of the side windows are done? Looks like there might be a new angle connector with a more shallow angle than the old ones. My feeling is that the old angle connectors would not match this angle.
They’ve certainly done a good job. Ah, but the price!
“… just 1 second faster than my electric BMW i4 M50.”
lol
Great review, but isn’t the color officially called “Papaya orange”? Since that’s McLaren’s house color.
Looks fine. Just not iconic enough for me to even care about owning one.
@ricecake said:
"For seeing the effect of the gearbox, when I built the 42115 Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, I also could not see much difference between adjacent gears. I had to compare 1st gear to 8th gear to really see the effect.
On this model, what is the difference supposed to be when switching between electric and hybrid modes?"
The grey cylinder you can see in middle of the chassis in the view of the underside represents the electric motor which rotatates and when in electric mode, the ICE doesn't.
@SatisfyingClick said:
"“… just 1 second faster than my electric BMW i4 M50.”
lol "
Well, @Huw's ride needs to stand out in the Brickset Towers parking garage.
Thanks for the review @Huw - very interesting! How does it look next to the GT3? I'm more interested in this than I was in either the Chiron or the Daytona but I am a little concerned about clashing for display.. Also - how many of the new Z12 clutch gears does it have??
On the functional side - whilst it's true that in a display piece like this the gearbox does basically nothing I wouldn't be remotely interested in it if the gearbox wasn't there - there's not much that's mechanically interesting in a car anyway, and the build, rather than playing, is key for me at least. The build looks to be interesting with this one in a way that it wasn't with the Daytona as the internals for that were basically the same as the Sian (minus the 4WD). I won't be buying at RRP - and the GWP for this is frankly a bad joke - but I'll look out for it on a discount!
Lego did a decent job with the shaping from images, but I feel like the top view of the car leaves a bit to be desired compared to the source material. However, the new additions of flame pieces are very welcome.
@fredrigl said:
"Regarding the other big licensed model: The 42177 G500:
Do anyone know how the angle of the side windows are done? Looks like there might be a new angle connector with a more shallow angle than the old ones. My feeling is that the old angle connectors would not match this angle."
Based on Eurobricks discussion and an image showing that connector from a side view, we're quite confident that yes, it is a new part
Thanks for the quality text-based review! One correction, though, @Huw: You mention that the shift drums on this set are borrowed from last year's Yamaha, but according to this article, they're actually a new mold (in the same system, to be sure), with a different shift pattern. https://www.newelementary.com/2024/07/lego-technic-parts-review-42172-mclaren.html more
It's perhaps not a significant change for most people, but after spending hours trying to wrap my brain around how the Yamaha one can be used to get useful shift patterns, I feel like it's pretty important! :)
@henrique406 said:
" @GusG said:
"The box doesnt look all that premium to me after the previous ones"
What are you talking about…? The box design is beautiful. You know this trolling about every new Lego set coming out is getting kind of tedious. Why not just appreciate new great Lego sets being released, and if you’re not that pleased, just sit this one out and comments on the ones you actually like. Have a great day "
Hidden comments work wonders. Until you read comments replying to comments...
@2GodBDGlory said:
"Thanks for the quality text-based review! One correction, though, @Huw: You mention that the shift drums on this set are borrowed from last year's Yamaha, but according to this article, they're actually a new mold (in the same system, to be sure), with a different shift pattern. https://www.newelementary.com/2024/07/lego-technic-parts-review-42172-mclaren.html more
It's perhaps not a significant change for most people, but after spending hours trying to wrap my brain around how the Yamaha one can be used to get useful shift patterns, I feel like it's pretty important! :)"
Thanks -- yes I learnt that too when reading the NE article. To the untrained eye, and without comparing them side-by-side, they look the same, other than the colour.
I think this looks splendid. The gearbox is something of a triumph. I loved 8858-2 all those years ago, so seeing how far the boundaries have been pushed is inspiring. Part of me wonders how Technic cars will evolve in another 40 years when we don’t have combustion engines and gearboxes to model. I’m probably in a minority of one, but I think it’s a pity that the model uses a new colour. Instantly it makes it harder to repurpose the parts into something else, which is kind of the point of the toy. But cracking job, Gromit - if I was a fan of supercars I’d buy this.
@jsutton said:
"... Part of me wonders how Technic cars will evolve in another 40 years when we don’t have combustion engines and gearboxes to model. ..."
I am surprised that they still haven't explored more in suspension design. There is a ton of stuff that could be done there, especially if they introduce some new pieces. Camber-, caster-, and toe-angles. Multi-link, McPherson. Helper springs, heave springs. Camber-gain, roll-center, anti-geometries etc. Push/pullrod with progressive leverage. Lots of interesting mechanics to explore!
I've read the review before looking at the price, and excuse me what? I'm still amazed by the prices we have reached... My 8448 did not feel so much different in terms of functions, but I know I'm still thinking in terms of technicity, not model building like now
@CaptainMoore said:
"I've read the review before looking at the price, and excuse me what? I'm still amazed by the prices we have reached... My 8448 did not feel so much different in terms of functions, but I know I'm still thinking in terms of technicity, not model building like now"
Your 8448 also includes 'only' 1437 pieces (nearly 1/3 of this one) and was $130 on release. Adjusted for piece parity, this Mclaren would be priced around $350 back in 1999... and adjusted for inflation, that's $650 in today's money. By this comparison alone, $450 sounds like an absolute steal!
Overall, comparing current pricing with sets released in the previous century (!) doesn't really achieve much.
To me, this looks like a great set, and I look forward to picking it up!
@northrop said:
" @CaptainMoore said:
"I've read the review before looking at the price, and excuse me what? I'm still amazed by the prices we have reached... My 8448 did not feel so much different in terms of functions, but I know I'm still thinking in terms of technicity, not model building like now"
Your 8448 also includes 'only' 1437 pieces (nearly 1/3 of this one) and was $130 on release. Adjusted for piece parity, this Mclaren would be priced around $350 back in 1999... and adjusted for inflation, that's $650 in today's money. By this comparison alone, $450 sounds like an absolute steal!
Overall, comparing current pricing with sets released in the previous century (!) doesn't really achieve much.
To me, this looks like a great set, and I look forward to picking it up! "
That is why I was talking about functions for comparisons. But yes, now I feel that it's not the target. I was just saying that for as many functions as before, one has to target a really high price. I may be wrong because I don't follow the technical releases as much as other themes
It’s a shame the rear doesnt come off easily. I always thought the point of Technic was the mechanical x-ray look at how things move. If the back was removable it would have been the best of both worlds : modern technic look and great display and then to be able to see all the gears on a whim and show it off. Isn’t that the whole idea? Why are they not doing this?
"just 1 second faster than my electric BMW i4 M50" really undersells the P1. That extra second is huge!
Why hasn't anyone mentioned the 'sticking up horns' in the headlights yet? @Huw, do you have something against pedestrians? ;)
Hi, it would be nice if a tag was added with the scale. This would be nice for most of the cars and motorcycles actually. You then will be able to filter by scale.
"Effect of gearbox virtually imperceptable (sic) unless tested with a motor"
So does this mean it can be motorized? :o
@iabstract said:
""Effect of gearbox virtually imperceptable (sic) unless tested with a motor"
So does this mean it can be motorized? :o"
No, you'd need to attach it to the appropriate axle, as some reviewers have.
Thanks for the review, looks like an amazing set. I think Lego have really nailed the overall look and proportions. I for one am glad they went with the P1. I've got no issues with it being 10 years old, its the most iconic of the modern day McLarens