Review: 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38
Posted by CapnRex101,
Formula 1 cars have appeared regularly in the Speed Champions theme since it began in 2015 and the collection reaches new heights this year, as every current team is represented. There are obviously similarities between them all, though many accurate differences as well.
77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 seems like a good place to begin, as the winner of last year's Constructor's Championship. Moreover, this set offers an ideal comparison with the fantastic 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Car released last year, hopefully retaining strengths from the earlier model and improving wherever possible.
Summary
77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38, 269 pieces.
£22.99 / $26.99 / €26.99 | 8.5p/10.0c/10.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 improves on an already-stunning model from 2024
- Surprisingly distinctive design
- Authentic shaping throughout
- Striking colour scheme
- Various new elements
- Large number of stickers, even for Speed Champions
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigure
The drivers in Speed Champions sets have historically worn detailed racing suits or clothes to match their cars. This minifigure seems lacklustre by comparison, re-using a torso from 60442 F1 Driver with McLaren Race Car. I understand simplifying the design for a relatively basic City model, but Speed Champions should prioritise accuracy as much as possible.
With that in mind, a new helmet has been created, better capturing the complex shape of real crash helmets in Formula 1. The dual-moulded visor and aerodynamic vents look superb, with the McLaren logo adding some extra detail. Much though I would like a few sponsors and other details on the torso, at least it corresponds with the helmet fairly well.
A reddish brown hair element is provided and the smiling head could easily represent either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri. Also, the minifigure comes with a silver wrench to remove the car's wheel covers.
Reference
Source - wikipedia.com
The Completed Model
Formula 1 cars have undoubtedly taken advantage of Speed Champions' transition to a wider format, starting with 76909 Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Mercedes-AMG Project One and continuing to improve since. The models arriving this year appear more accurate than ever and I think the McLaren's proportions look marvellous, on the whole.
This model measures 20cm in length, so is slightly bigger than its predecessor, extending the bodywork above the rear wheels. The resultant gap between the subtle fin and the wing looks odd from side on, but is a feature present on the original car. In addition, this angle shows how the livery blends across different components, including distinct diagonal stripes on each side pod and the airbox housing.
Clearly, there are similarities between 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Car and the new model, as expected because these cars raced only a season apart. The front wing and airbox are both nearly identical in design, for instance, with accurate colour changes. However, the assembly of the side pods and much of the rear structure is completely different this time.
As a result, the MCL38 looks more angular and noticeably bulkier than its equivalent from the 2023 season, reflecting the real differences between them. You can look back at my review of the previous design here for an extended comparison, as I have tried to show the new car from similar angles in this review.
The sweeping shape of the front wing is excellent, using exactly the same building techniques as last year's model. There are more stickers on this occasion though, recreating the bands of orange on the original car. 40 stickers are supplied in total, including one applied to a 1x1 slope on the nose, which surprised me because such tiny parts are normally printed.
Thankfully, that stickered piece is an outlier among the new Speed Champions sets and there are plenty of printed elements as well, including the wheels. These debuted last year and look perfect, now decorated with white highlights to denote hard tyres, replacing the yellow medium tyres used before. Hard, medium and soft tyres appear across this year's range.
In addition, the nose is printed on the top and sides, using a new 1x6 curved slope. The softer shape definitely improves on the 1x6 slope used last year and the printing is much better, now on a smooth surface. More importantly though, a special wishbone suspension piece has been developed for these Formula 1 sets, with inbuilt deflectors wrapping neatly over the wheels.
Impressive detail continues around the cockpit and includes dark blue accents on either side, which look out of place, but are accurate. Also, the DeWalt-branded barge boards have been strengthened and the halo has been adjusted slightly, with the vertical section attached to the halo instead of the bodywork.
The halo opens to place a figure inside and the dark bluish grey seat looks superb, featuring a curved headrest and contrasting with the surrounding bodywork. Moreover, black spoons work well as mirrors flanking the cockpit, which is a clever technique introduced last year.
Similarly, the idea of a video game controller forming the steering wheel originates from 76909 Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance & Mercedes-AMG Project One, released in 2022. The intricate printing is brilliant and you can use this piece upside down if you wish, as the numbers read correctly either way up.
Although not entirely safe beneath the halo, the minifigure still sits snugly inside and their new helmet looks great in here. I am satisfied with the shape of the airbox behind the driver as well, other than the camera mount on top. The printed 1x2 tile from previous sets has been swapped for a black ingot, which is fine, but I do miss the dash of yellow.
The 2x5 wedge slopes attached further back match the prior design, even including the same orange ski for the central fin, which is effective. The side pods are totally different though, with 1x6 curved bricks recreating the bodywork's curvature, which is an incredibly distinctive feature on the McLaren and an important one to include.
Connecting these bricks at an angle inevitably creates gaps around them, but the dark colour hides those gaps to some degree. Moreover, the gulleys on top of the side pods are faithful to the source material, as are bulges on the engine cover, formed by 1x4 bows. The orange bows further back are printed rather than needing stickers, which was a pleasant surprise.
The rear tyres on Formula 1 cars are normally wider than those at the front, which is a feature LEGO has failed to recreate historically. I must admit, this did not particularly bother me at the scale of Speed Champions sets, but I am nonetheless happy to see it improved this year, with the long-awaited introduction of wider rear tyres!
A new 2x6 concave slope has also been produced for the Speed Champions F1 sets, forming the top of the rear wing. Whereas the rear tyres and wishbone suspension parts are unusually specialised, this is more versatile and has already appeared elsewhere in 21355 The Evolution of STEM. It suits this role on the rear wing as well, of course, finished with more stickers.
I like the claw piece denoting the DRS actuator too, as well as the diffusers and a printed 1x1 tile on the back. There are even a couple of stickers for the McLaren symbols on the inside of the wing structure. I have noticed that the connection between the rear wing and the bodywork around the airbox tends to flex a little, although it should not come apart accidentally.
Overall
I was extremely impressed with 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Car when it was released, so the prospect of similar Formula 1 models this year appealed to me, despite concerns they may prove repetitive. I need not have worried though, as 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 overhauls the design dramatically and represents a definite improvement on last year's car.
The new parts are certainly helpful in that regard, though they are only partly responsible. The new side pods, for instance, are very accurate to the actual car, while the livery is attractive as well. Fewer stickers would be good, although the price of £22.99, $26.99 or €26.99 is a greater issue, in my opinion. I still think the value is fair thanks to the model's quality, though only just.
Upcoming reviews of these sets will group cars together, continuing with 77242 Ferrari SF-24 and 77243 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 next.
103 likes
41 comments on this article
I honestly thought all the ten cars would have the same basic design, but with different colours, prints and stickers. Guess I was very wrong
Thank you for the detailed review including the comparison with last year's model, much appreciated!
I have the Mclaren F1 from last year and it looks better than this.
I will grudgingly admit that the price of Speed Champions is still fair given what you're getting. I just miss the days when they were an absolute bargain almost every time at $20. I'm happy with my 2023 version and won't be getting this one, but I may pick up one of the others if I see it on discount somewhere. I'm not into F1 so it basically comes down to if I like the colors. As always, appreciate the deep dive and especially the comparison to the previous version!
Looking at the comparison with the previous model, at first I was positively surpsrised by the much improved print quailty of that nose piece.....but only then realized it's now just an orange (papaya!) piece with black printing instead of the other way around. Still an improvement, though more by smart design than actual improved print quality.
Overall a good model and a clear improvement over its predecessor, but the number of stickers will probably prevent me from getting any of these. And that figure is just a disappointment, considering the massive price hike over the last couple of years would it really have been too much to ask to a more accurate torso, plus face, hair and (obviously simplified) helmet for both drivers?
And while fully understandable, it is kinda weird to get the entire 2024 line-up just when the 2025 season is firing up....
Sorry to much stickers for me.
Really looking forward to getting all 10 of these. Either if Amazon UK do the same limited edition set with poster as Amazon US or, failing that, next time there's double points at Lego.com.
I've got the older one and am perfectly happy with it. The new one just doesn't seem that much better (or different) to me.
Could we have pictures of the sticker sheet provided in reviews going forwards? I sometimes pick up Speed champs sets for their stickers and these sets look to have a wealth of useful ones for racing, or for specific brands and packaging I can use in a city setting.
Besides its also fun to marvel at the huge amount that are included with these cars!
I am a speed champion enthusiast. But I can't get excited for all these formula 1 cars. They are too.much of the same and too much of an ad for a sport that i dont find very appealing. Passing on all of them. Sorry not sorry. Let me know when we get actual cars again.
40 stickers... That are 40 good reasons not to buy!
Not interested until the Tony Stark version.
This looks just *marginally* better than the 2023 model, IMO. Not much reason to upgrade if you have the old version, but fans who didn't buy the previous one should be happy.
Seeing complaints about sticker sheets in Speed Champion models makes me feel like Dr. Manhattan caught in a time loop. "The year is 2018. LEGO has released a number of new Speed Champion cars and fans are upset about the number of stickers. The year is 2025. LEGO has released a number of new Speed Champion cars and fans are upset about the number of stickers."
Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop.
Anyways, I think I'm probably going to pass on all of the Formula 1 releases this year, even though I am an avid F1 fan. I've got too many SC cars as it is and I really need to sell some. In time I MIGHT pick up the Mercedes since that looks like a major upgrade from the old set, and I might get a Red Bull since I'm a huge Max fan, but for now I am just completely out of space.
@WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?
to be honest, while I do think the model looks very good…
the new helmet mold looks comically large, and it isn't even decorated. so IMO this could have been left out and the old regular helmet could have been used.
secondly, the race suits not having printed details is disappointing.
and finally, I wish the upcoming F1 "non-CMF "series had licensed figures of the real F1 drivers instead. I understand that it's probably for cost reasons, but the drivers in these sets being generic and not the real ones feels weird.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?"
Wow, you are SOOOOO cool stressing that you will NEVER consider stickers a good thing.
Gotta *love* those people using ALLCAPS on their keyboard to stress how much they dislike something.
What do Lego have against 7-Eleven
@MrBedhead said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?"
Wow, you are SOOOOO cool stressing that you will NEVER consider stickers a good thing.
Gotta *love* those people using ALLCAPS on their keyboard to stress how much they dislike something."
Thanks, but I'm probably not quite as cool as fanboys who would *never* criticise anything Lego does but are only here to whine about what other people have to say.
@Ephseb said:
"to be honest, while I do think the model looks very good…
the new helmet mold looks comically large, and it isn't even decorated. so IMO this could have been left out and the old regular helmet could have been used.
secondly, the race suits not having printed details is disappointing.
and finally, I wish the upcoming F1 "non-CMF "series had licensed figures of the real F1 drivers instead. I understand that it's probably for cost reasons, but the drivers in these sets being generic and not the real ones feels weird."
The helmet *is* decorated, though. There's a McLaren logo right on the front.
@donutboy said:
"What do Lego have against 7-Eleven"
That sponsorship changed over the season, between 7-Eleven, Oxxo, Vuse, Velo and perhaps others I am missing, which is probably why those panels were left blank.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @donutboy said:
"What do Lego have against 7-Eleven"
That sponsorship changed over the season, between 7-Eleven, Oxxo, Vuse, Velo and perhaps others I am missing, which is probably why those panels were left blank."
Vuse and Velo were probably left out for a more obvious reason, they're nicotine-based brands. Seems odd to exclude 7-Eleven if it didn't renew its sponsorship for 2025, but maybe that's just how the F1 licensing deal worked out.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?"
It's not an exclusive license. You can also get F1 sets in about the same scale from Rastar, Cada, and Cobi. In my opinion the Lego sets are better, notwithstanding the stickers.
I don't think the redesigned helmet was necessary. It looks okay but the fixed visor is a step back.
Surprizingly all 10 builds have a different feel. It is truely amazing how very different each one is. The only parts that are the same on all 10 are the front spoilers.
@MrBedhead said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?"
Wow, you are SOOOOO cool stressing that you will NEVER consider stickers a good thing.
Gotta *love* those people using ALLCAPS on their keyboard to stress how much they dislike something."
NOTED.
@crawlerbot said:
"I don't think the redesigned helmet was necessary. It looks okay but the fixed visor is a step back."
Do the real helmets have opening visors?
@Maxbricks14 said:
"I have the Mclaren F1 from last year and it looks better than this."
The front suspension changes are such a big, positive difference. Looks much more like an F1 car now and ties the front end together nicely.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @crawlerbot said:
"I don't think the redesigned helmet was necessary. It looks okay but the fixed visor is a step back."
Do the real helmets have opening visors?"
Yes.
@iwybs said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @WemWem said:
"Sorry, at this point it's what's to be expected from the theme! Especially when they're doing a race car. No way in hell LEGO would *ever* do all of these as prints unless you'd be fine with them costing $50 a pop."
And that's why it's kinda sad Lego got that F1 license and not a brand like Cobi, Mega or even some of the Chinese....
Even when stickers are to be expected from SC, I will NEVER consider that a good thing. And will thus skip sets that rely too much on stickers. Why shouldn't we ask for premium quality considering the premium prices Lego is asking for it?"
It's not an exclusive license. You can also get F1 sets in about the same scale from Rastar, Cada, and Cobi. In my opinion the Lego sets are better, notwithstanding the stickers."
Interesting.....I did know about Cada and I think those do look much better (both the small and big ones), but I think they only do Alfa Romeo/Kick/Stake/whatever Sauber is called, not the most interesting ones on the grid.
From Cobi I seem to only find a 2010 Renault (old set it seems) and a 2025 Alpine? Those look....not quite as good as what I would expect from Cobi.
Had never heared of Rastar, found a big RB19 that looked pretty great but was also priced at Lego level, and a smaller one that was more of a mixed bag.
The issue with printed pieces is that from Lego's storage point of view, they need to be considered as a new element, so creating 40 'new' elements for each car would clearly be unrealistic. Plus there's the additional cost of printing them in the first place.
@Paperballpark said:
"The issue with printed pieces is that from Lego's storage point of view, they need to be considered as a new element, so creating 40 'new' elements for each car would clearly be unrealistic. Plus there's the additional cost of printing them in the first place."
Yet some other brands have absolutely no issue with that....
And sure, they likely don't even come close to the total number or parts Lego has in it's inventory, but they won't sell nearly the same number of sets Lego does either.
It's not that Lego can't do it, it's just that they would make slightly less profit. And people are buying it anyway, so why care about quality?
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Paperballpark said:
"The issue with printed pieces is that from Lego's storage point of view, they need to be considered as a new element, so creating 40 'new' elements for each car would clearly be unrealistic. Plus there's the additional cost of printing them in the first place."
Yet some other brands have absolutely no issue with that....
And sure, they likely don't even come close to the total number or parts Lego has in it's inventory, but they won't sell nearly the same number of sets Lego does either.
It's not that Lego can't do it, it's just that they would make slightly less profit. And people are buying it anyway, so why care about quality?"
It's not a profit issue (or at least not *just* a profit issue), every new element needs to have its own physical space dedicated to it in their inventories. This set alone would necessitate as many as forty new slots.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Paperballpark said:
"The issue with printed pieces is that from Lego's storage point of view, they need to be considered as a new element, so creating 40 'new' elements for each car would clearly be unrealistic. Plus there's the additional cost of printing them in the first place."
Yet some other brands have absolutely no issue with that....
And sure, they likely don't even come close to the total number or parts Lego has in it's inventory, but they won't sell nearly the same number of sets Lego does either.
It's not that Lego can't do it, it's just that they would make slightly less profit. And people are buying it anyway, so why care about quality?"
It's not a profit issue (or at least not *just* a profit issue), every new element needs to have its own physical space dedicated to it in their inventories. This set alone would necessitate as many as forty new slots."
I get that it's not that easy, but they could either expand or change the system. I mean, looking at Cobi, for their inventory I would expect them to just combine pieces exclusive for a single set and treat them as a single piece. And does every single piece need to be available for every single theme?
If they really have gotten too big to keep up quality, maybe they should look for other solutions. They want to keep growing, don't they?
And if they really can't, maybe they should consider adjusting their pricing to their quality standards instead of keep going up.....
I see no difference between last years and this year's apart from a bit more orange. Plus you can still buy last year's and it's £2 cheaper
Similarly with the Aston. Looks identical, but you get 2 cars in the set last year.
Dear lego, can we have more variety with the cars rather than like 20 near identical f1 racers please?
@WizardOfOss said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
" @Paperballpark said:
"The issue with printed pieces is that from Lego's storage point of view, they need to be considered as a new element, so creating 40 'new' elements for each car would clearly be unrealistic. Plus there's the additional cost of printing them in the first place."
Yet some other brands have absolutely no issue with that....
And sure, they likely don't even come close to the total number or parts Lego has in it's inventory, but they won't sell nearly the same number of sets Lego does either.
It's not that Lego can't do it, it's just that they would make slightly less profit. And people are buying it anyway, so why care about quality?"
It's not a profit issue (or at least not *just* a profit issue), every new element needs to have its own physical space dedicated to it in their inventories. This set alone would necessitate as many as forty new slots."
I get that it's not that easy, but they could either expand or change the system. I mean, looking at Cobi, for their inventory I would expect them to just combine pieces exclusive for a single set and treat them as a single piece. And does every single piece need to be available for every single theme?
If they really have gotten too big to keep up quality, maybe they should look for other solutions. They want to keep growing, don't they?
And if they really can't, maybe they should consider adjusting their pricing to their quality standards instead of keep going up....."
In the first half of 2024, Lego revenue rose 13%, while almost every other toy company saw a decline in sales. I think the people currently running it are doing quite well for themselves and likely understand the industry and market slightly better than someone on the internet.
@Chopstix89 said:
"In the first half of 2024, Lego revenue rose 13%, while almost every other toy company saw a decline in sales. I think the people currently running it are doing quite well for themselves and likely understand the industry and market slightly better than someone on the internet."
I'm not a shareholder, I'm a consumer. I fully understand that just like any other company Lego will offer the lowest quality they can get away with at the highest possible price people are willing to pay. But that still doesn't mean I should be happy about that.
But hey, if you care more about their financial results than about the product you're buying, well, good for you.
@WizardOfOss said:
" @Chopstix89 said:
"In the first half of 2024, Lego revenue rose 13%, while almost every other toy company saw a decline in sales. I think the people currently running it are doing quite well for themselves and likely understand the industry and market slightly better than someone on the internet."
I'm not a shareholder, I'm a consumer. I fully understand that just like any other company Lego will offer the lowest quality they can get away with at the highest possible price people are willing to pay. But that still doesn't mean I should be happy about that.
But hey, if you care more about their financial results than about the product you're buying, well, good for you."
well, it would be difficult for you to be a shareholder, as they are not a publicly traded company. Regardless, as others have said, there are a lot of other brands for you to choose from as well. If you think those brands are of lesser quality than Lego, then, Lego is a premium product. Keep being unhappy about a toy company, continuing to make money, and toys, for most people to enjoy. You can demand whatever you would like, but if businesses caved into random consumer demands from the internet, many businesses would go bankrupt. I am honestly surprised that you are so worried about the cost of Lego, as you clearly know how to manage and grow a multibillion dollar industry, I would presume you are the CEO of a large company and understand all the business costs that come with it. You do you though, keep complaining about the big evil family business. I am sure the Krik Kristiansen family will come here to read this and hire you on as CEO soon!
@Chopstix89 said:
"If you think those brands are of lesser quality than Lego, then, Lego is a premium product."
In what way is Lego a "premium product", apart from the pricing?
Don't get me wrong, I do think Lego is doing a lot pretty well, after all I am still buying their products regularly. I just wish they would adhere to the same high quality standards of some of the (usually still cheaper) competition. Lego set designs with Cobi quality, wouldn't that be amazing?
I just don't buy into the "Lego would go bankrupt if they would improve quality standards" nonsense.
Why is there no discussion on why there are Simons in each wheel?
Why does McLaren need them? What function do they serve? Do they intimidate the other drivers? Are they part of some AI plot to take over racing? Are there horse socks?
These are burning questions the LEGO public needs to know.
Am I stupid or did a set (almost?) identical to this already release?
Having built ? of the Speed Champions F1 sets so far, my main gripe is that several of the cars are less spectacular than they look in the stock images, and are merely plain black builds with the colour coming primarily from the stickers, rather than coloured parts. I found the Haas and McLaren to be two of the more boring builds, being predominantly black, having initially thought there would be more coloured parts included.
However, I did find that this McLaren was strides ahead of the F1 car from 2024, correcting a few design issues from the previous set. This is a more robust build that has a few improved techniques, and the addition of the new front suspension parts is a godsend, even if the nose section is still wobbly. McLaren also losing the blue highlights from the previous seasons also makes for a much sexier car.