Review: 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car
Posted by Huw,
As you will no doubt be aware, this year LEGO is releasing models of Formula 1 cars in every theme where it makes sense to do so, from Duplo to Technic.
42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car is the largest and most expensive of four models of last-year's Championship-winning car, modelled at a scale of approximately 1:8.
Unfortunately, like many similar models, it suffers from a major flaw...
Summary
42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 Car, 1,639 pieces.
£199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99 | 12.2p/14.0c/14.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
An attractive and reaonably accurate model but the narrow rear tyres are a disappointment
- Eye-catching livery
- Interesting construction techniques used to shape bodywork
- Inaccurate rear tyres
- Expensive
Stickers
Today's F1 cars are covered with sponsor's logos, so it will come as no surprise that the sticker sheet is extensive and includes many large decals. You will want to add them all: the model will not look right without them.
New parts
A number of new parts have been introduced in this and 42207 Ferrari SF-24 F1 Car, including a pair that are about 20 years overdue.
Wishbone 7 x 8 x 2 (Design ID 5780)
Beam 2L with Tow ball (Design ID 5995) and Beam 2L with Tow ball Socket (5997)
2x5 panel (Design ID 7101)
Engine Cylinder, No Studs (Design ID 6608) & Beam Special 1 x 5 x 3 (6614)
LEGO has at last made a replacement for the ancient studded cylinder piece that was introduced in 1990. It, and the trapezoidal part used in conjunction with them to make 'V' engines, look out of place in today's studless models, so the introduction of successors is long overdue.
As always, you'll find comprehensive information about all the new parts and recolours in the set over at New Elementary.
The completed model
Some of the cars on today's F1 grid look a bit of a mess in terms of their colour scheme and colour blocking, but that's not the case here. The dark blue looks fantastic, and contrasts well with the splashes of red and yellow in the sponsors' logos. The sides of the nose should be yellow as well as the top, but there's just a gap there on this model, so that part of it does not look quite right.
The most egregious issue, though, is the width of the rear tyres, which are the same as those at the front. This problem plagues so many LEGO cars, and it really is inexcusable on a flagship model costing as much as this one does.
On the real car, the fronts are about 30cm wide and the rears 40cm. On the model they are all 40mm: the rears should thus be about 52mm.
Other than that, I think it looks pretty good, and I am particularly impressed that the complex curves and angles of the bodywork have been almost completely achieved using Techinc pieces alone.
There isn't a lot of scope for functionality in a model such as this, but it does have suspension on all wheels, a 'working' engine linked to the rear axle via a two-speed plus neutral gearbox, and steering via the steering wheel in the cockpit and the gear on the top of the air intake behind it.
The engine cowling can be removed to expose the 6-cylinder engine, and also the lever that operates the gearbox. It seems a bit pointless, particularly given that the control is buried inside, but it's very simple, so has not added significantly to the piece count or building complexity.
The gearbox and engine can also be examined from underneath. You can also see two red springs that form the rear suspension, which is very cleverly integrated into the model. A similar arrangement is used at the front but the springs are buried within the chassis, almost entirely out of sight.
The complex front wing of this modern F1 car consists of 4 separate overlapping sections. This one comprises three, with shading on the stickers to suggest the fourth. I think it's quite effective, especially from a distance.
The rear wing is also a fair approximation, although the side stanchions should be angled outwards towards the top rather than vertical.
Construction
Parts are split across ten numbered paper bags, the first four of which are used to build the chassis, steering, suspension, gearbox, and engine. It's not a particularly long or complex build, but a satisfying one nonetheless.
Verdict
Overall I think this a pretty good model of an attractively-liveried car that I suspect will be more popular in some markets than in others*. Dark blue certainly makes a welcome change from Ferrari red and Mercedes black and really helps the model 'pop' on display.
However, the narrow rear tyres detract from the overall aesthetic of what is otherwise a reasonably accurate model. Tyres are expensive to design, develop, and produce: I get that, but this is an expensive set and given that they could also have been used on last year's Mercedes, this year's Ferrari, and any future 1:8 models of F1 cars, it really is inexplicable why they have still not been made.
The 1,639-piece model costs $229.99, £199.99, €229.99 so, like many large licenced Technic sets, it is very expensive for the piece count. Unfortunately, it does not appear to be available at Amazon at the moment, so may not be discounted for some time, if at all.
If you're a Red Bull Racing fan looking for a large, impressive and eye-catching model to display on your desk or shelf, this is the set for you. If you want something smaller, there is plenty of choice this year: some even have the right size tyres...
* I am led to believe that British F1 fans generally dislike the team because its drivers are often competing for the title against Lewis Hamilton!
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30 comments on this article
Death by stickers. It's a hard pass from me.
Is duplo really the theme where F1 makes sense?
Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match.
I like how Lego has been doing stickers for decades and yet people still act like no stickers is the status quo.
Can you imagine if LEGO put this much care & attention into a Technic model with actual functions, like a digger\backhoe...? I wish they'd get over doing cars again & again & again.
Nice review, and always appreciate a link to New Elementary. I'm weirdly nostalgic about those "ancient" studded engine block pieces; they were so modern & mind-blowing for me when 8840 came out! Wrestling them to work in a hundred MOCs as a kid was equally frustrating & rewarding. These new ones seem naked...
@YoungB1ood said:
"Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match."
Only from LEGO.
Every other respectable manufacturer manages to deliver quality prints.
Speaking of which, for these kinds of cars I will stick with the officially licensed F1 sets from CaDa, which are miles better in quality and much cheaper too. No-brainer actually.
@YoungB1ood said:
"Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match."
Just a very small correction: It's *LEGO's* prints that are always less vibrant than the colour they try to match. Other brick manufacturers manage to print just fine.
Only speaking for me personally, stickers are the worst thing ever because they interrupt the joy of the flow of building a construction model. Clicking parts together is deeply relaxing for me; the abrupt change from that rhythm to the stress of having to align a sticker perfectly is enough for me to despise stickers and mostly leave them off.
Edit: @AustinPowers
Jinx! :-)
@YoungB1ood said:
"I like how Lego has been doing stickers for decades and yet people still act like no stickers is the status quo.
"
Same with grey Mixel joints. I feel like after 10 years, we can adjust. And colored Technic pins, and visible studs. At what point do these become part of the medium?
And also, none of these are strictly good or bad things. I love stickers, because then you aren't saddled with that design forever, and you can use the sticker for something else (and you can also just leave them off!). Mixel joints all being grey makes collecting them a lot easier, where they'd be really expensive and tough to come by if different ones were in different colors. Preferences are preferences, but sometimes they're treated like universal truths
@bananaworld said:
"
Can you imagine if LEGO put this much care & attention into a Technic model with actual functions, like a digger\backhoe...? I wish they'd get over doing cars again & again & again.
Nice review, and always appreciate a link to New Elementary. I'm weirdly nostalgic about those "ancient" studded engine block pieces; they were so modern & mind-blowing for me when 8840 came out! Wrestling them to work in a hundred MOCs as a kid was equally frustrating & rewarding. These new ones seem naked..."
I still use the studded ones on F1 cars I build from instructions; they are very useful when adding tiles to the tops of each cylinder bank to give the impression of double cam covers to the tops of the blocks - although the incomplete studs (they don't have a completed circle) and the less than secure nature of 1 stud wide tiles makes it all a bit fragile nonetheless...
Could have provided a reference image... but then that would have shown how much of a disaster that nosecone section is compared to the real thing. ;) I mean, it's not supposed to be see-through from the side.
For real, as someone who has been following F1 for 20+ years, these 1:8 sets should have been slam-dunks for people like me. Hell, I've been buying the Technic 1:8 supercars since the Porsche, so it's not like I'm averse to building almost "copy-paste" sets in terms of functionality.
But when I see the inaccurate rear tyres, and that nosecone section, and also the colour that's far too light compared to the real thing... it's just so disappointing.
The rear bodywork is well-made, it captures the essence of the car's signature "cannons" very well, and the sidepods are fairly accurate, but everything in front of that is a whole load of "no".
And now I just noticed another thing, the lights on the rear wing. They are supposed to be slanted at an angle, not completely vertical. It looks like the arrangement from the pre-2022 cars, not the current ones, so it's another inaccuracy to go with the rear tyres, the nosecone, and the colour.
Put it this way, this is not something that I would strongly recommend to an F1 fan. :)
@YoungB1ood said:
"Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match."
It's because stickers offer zero value to the customer. Their existence only really benefits LEGO, while simultaneously contradicting one of LEGO's founding principles that "only the best is good enough." This becomes even more prevalent when you consider that LEGO only ever includes one sticker sheet, even for expensive sets.
The stickers themselves are often hard to align and place properly, can't be washed like other parts, naturally peel off after time, the sticker sheets have a tendency to become smashed, crumpled or folded in the box, and they're just otherwise kind of cheap looking by comparison. Personally, I dislike placing clear stickers onto translucent parts, like windows or doors--they're almost impossible to place perfectly.
LEGO certainly has the ability to print parts properly and there are countless examples of them doing so, whether it be decorated tiles or mini-figures. I suspect the lack of appropriate color-matching or vibrant colors are likely a consequence of cost-cutting measures by LEGO.
Seems like they should invest in making a larger rear tire component - the F1 sets seem to be selling well, so I don't know why they wouldn't see it as a worthwhile component to manufacture.
I really like the look of this set, and I'm a huge Max Verstappen fan, but the price is just too high for me.
Well, we'll probably get the wider rear tires next year or so. Just like they did with the McLaren and Williams.....what surprises me more that these have red printing (softs), while the Ferrari has yellow (mediums). Considering we hear all the time it is impossible for Lego to do more prints, this kinda feels like a wasted slot.
Apart from the tire and sticker issue and some luckily mild color puke, I think both this RB and the Ferrari look pretty decent, a clear step up from the Mercedes, and obviously even more so from the McLaren disaster. Too bad that also comes with a silly price tag, though I have already seen it discounted at €179. Not that I'll be buying it anyway, I have other priorities for my limited display space.
@fakespacesquid said:
"And also, none of these are strictly good or bad things. I love stickers, because then you aren't saddled with that design forever, and you can use the sticker for something else (and you can also just leave them off!). Mixel joints all being grey makes collecting them a lot easier, where they'd be really expensive and tough to come by if different ones were in different colors. Preferences are preferences, but sometimes they're treated like universal truths"
Wouldn't it be great if all Lego pieces were color locked! To start with design numbers 29119 and 29120. I'd say pink for the left version, and azure for the right one. Any objections?
BOLOCsFTW!
@Vesperas said:
" @YoungB1ood said:
"Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match."
It's because stickers offer zero value to the customer. Their existence only really benefits LEGO, while simultaneously contradicting one of LEGO's founding principles that "only the best is good enough." This becomes even more prevalent when you consider that LEGO only ever includes one sticker sheet, even for expensive sets.
The stickers themselves are often hard to align and place properly, can't be washed like other parts, naturally peel off after time, the sticker sheets have a tendency to become smashed, crumpled or folded in the box, and they're just otherwise kind of cheap looking by comparison. Personally, I dislike placing clear stickers onto translucent parts, like windows or doors--they're almost impossible to place perfectly.
LEGO certainly has the ability to print parts properly and there are countless examples of them doing so, whether it be decorated tiles or mini-figures. I suspect the lack of appropriate color-matching or vibrant colors are likely a consequence of cost-cutting measures by LEGO."
You forgot horrible color-matching, cracking, flaking, and yellowing.
Lego is an attractive product because (for the most part) it stands the test of time. Thus, it allows us a visceral, physical tie to joys of the past. Lego stickers don't meet that test (assuming they aren't just utter crap from day one).
Just like the smaller versions(77243, etc), Lego went at great length to make the building experience for 42206 as different as possible from 42207.
I am also not a big fan of stickers but I can handle a few from time to time. When you have stickers on different pieces where they have to line up perfectly, that's when I begin to seriously hate them (and as mentioned before - they definitely break the flow of building, which is what Lego is all about).
I am not quite sure yet if I'll get one of the Technic race car but I'll most likely get 77243.
Besides the wrong back tires' size, this car 42206 is also front leaning (page 4) which I think is wrong, while 42207 (page 5) is not.
Hard pass
I think I'll sell the Merc and that orange thing from the year before to buy this one.
@Vesperas said:
" @YoungB1ood said:
"Can someone explain why stickers are the worst thing ever? Prints are always less vibrant than the color they try to match."
It's because stickers offer zero value to the customer. Their existence only really benefits LEGO, while simultaneously contradicting one of LEGO's founding principles that "only the best is good enough." This becomes even more prevalent when you consider that LEGO only ever includes one sticker sheet, even for expensive sets.
The stickers themselves are often hard to align and place properly, can't be washed like other parts, naturally peel off after time, the sticker sheets have a tendency to become smashed, crumpled or folded in the box, and they're just otherwise kind of cheap looking by comparison. Personally, I dislike placing clear stickers onto translucent parts, like windows or doors--they're almost impossible to place perfectly.
LEGO certainly has the ability to print parts properly and there are countless examples of them doing so, whether it be decorated tiles or mini-figures. I suspect the lack of appropriate color-matching or vibrant colors are likely a consequence of cost-cutting measures by LEGO."
What about choosing to leave them off, or applying them to parts other than the intended ones? I've seen MOC makers say they prefer stickers over prints for these reasons.
"As you will no doubt be aware, this year LEGO is releasing models of Formula 1 cars in every theme where it makes sense to do so, from Duplo to Technic." I sorta wish they'd done one or two in Friends. I really enjoyed the Racing subtheme some years back: https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Friends/subtheme-Racing
@Alemas said:
"Could have provided a reference image... but then that would have shown how much of a disaster that nosecone section is compared to the real thing. ;) I mean, it's not supposed to be see-through from the side."
There's a picture in this review: https://brickset.com/article/119253/review-77242-ferrari-sf-24-and-77243-oracle-red-bull-racing-rb20
@TheOtherMike said:
""As you will no doubt be aware, this year LEGO is releasing models of Formula 1 cars in every theme where it makes sense to do so, from Duplo to Technic." I sorta wish they'd done one or two in Friends. I really enjoyed the Racing subtheme some years back: https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Friends/subtheme-Racing"
Oh my gosh, yes! Friends + F1 Academy makes perfect sense.
Easy pass.
Isn't the Red Bull car white? :)
There seems to be a well-off demographic that likes buying expensive Technic cars, so Lego will carry on designing them, and I'm sure they would like to see next to 42207 as both 1:8.
@kinggregus said:
"Isn't the Red Bull car white? :)"
I think that's the other RB car you're thinking of, currently called Visa Cash RB, previously called Scuderia Alpha Tauri, this is the main team.
Yet another Technic set without a crane. Pass.
Technic for me is more about the technical functions than the alternative construction style.
I can't even get angry at the large sticker sheet or tires sizes.
Even as a dutch F1 viewer this set does not interest me one bit.
I'm just longing for the days where Technic set announcements made me go "I need that!" instead of "It's another licensed car with suspension and moving pistons. Yeah..."
New engine piece is nice, though
As for British fans not liking the team, its mostly due to the actions of two prominent figures, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. Probably not too appropriate for there but read what you can and make your own conclusions.
Plenty of team bosses are unlikeable, Brown and Wolff in particular.
It is because Max Verstappen ended Hamiltons run.
Plus Abu Dhabi 2021 was karma for Silverstone 2021.
@xurotaryrocket said:
"Hard pass"
@daniellesa said:
"Easy pass."
Such elaborate comments. I’m even not sure if they mean the same or the opposite.