Review: 42222 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport
Posted by Huw,
42222 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is one of three 15-wide Technic cars slated for release during the first half of this year and while it is likely to be 'more of the same', it does at least have a very attractive colour scheme, and it's not plastered with stickers, so has something going for it.
Summary
42222 Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport, 771 pieces.
£59.99 / $64.99 / €64.99 | 7.8p / 8.4c / 8.4c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
One of the best 15-wide vehicles thanks largely to its striking colour scheme
- Bears a good resemblence to the real thing
- The flex tube used for the C line does not stay in place properly
- It's just more of the same
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Reference
The Chiron Pur Sport is a track-focused hypercar with an 8-litre W16 engine that develops 1,500hp and achieves a top speed of 350km/h. Compared to the regular version of the car, it's lighter and has a large fixed rear wing.
Pictures of orange ones are in short supply but it seems that a certain misogynistic individual facing criminal charges has a copper-coloured one, so it's perhaps surprising that LEGO has produced one in a similar shade.
Stickers
The real cars are not covered with sponsor's logos so, thankfully, there are not many stickers to apply and those that there are are relatively easy to affix.
The completed model
It's certainly one of the best 15-wide cars in terms of aesthetics, largely due to the vibrant reddish orange colour, which really makes it pop. The general shape of the car has been captured effectively, as well as can be expected with Technic pieces, anyway. Note how the rear wheel arches are angled outwards slightly.
As is always the case, there's no real functionality although the W16 engine is interesting, and coupled to the rear axle via a differential. The bonnet and doors open, and steering is afforded via the gear on the roof.
The W16 engine -- a first for a Technic model, I believe -- is visible through a hole in the bodywork. It utilises the new small cylinders which are arranged in two Vs of different angles, which osn't quite how they are in real life, but it's close enough.
A clever combination of System and Technic parts are used to create the distinctive shape of the car's bonnet. Stickers are used here to continue the black stripe and for the air intakes.
One of the car's other distinctive features, the 'C-line' around the doors, is formed using a flex-hose held on with clips. Unfortunately, it's not anchored at all at the bottom where it ends, so it has a tendency to move out of place and stick out from the side. I suspect bending the hose inwards a few times would help, but it's not ideal.
Construction
Construction is straightforward but here' are a few pictures anyway, taken after completion of bags 1 to 4.
Verdict
I'm not over-enamoured with the implementation of the C-Line but I suspect there was no other solution. Other than that, it resembles the real car pretty well and, thanks to its fabulous reddish-orange livery, really stands out on display.
The W16 engine is new but that's about it in terms of novelty: it's really just more of the same and unless you have a particular penchant for Bugatti, or you're a collector of 15-wides, you can safely leave it on the shelf and spend your money elsewhere.
Having said that, it does offer better value for money than the other 15-wide vehicle that's just hit the shelves, 42223 1966 Ford GT40 MKII: it's £5 / $10 cheaper for a similar number of pieces.
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18 comments on this article
Oh look, another car.
I love the colourful touch of coral and teal pieces.
Oh how much better it could have looked if it had been Icons, or how much more Technical it could have been if it was a tractor!
@chefkaspa said:
"I love the colourful touch of coral and teal pieces."
Well, let's face it - they had to try something to make this bore-fest exciting.
LMAO these supercars coming with roadcar-looking wheels. Every single technic supercar at this scale suffers from this, and they all look ridiculous.
I like it, but mostly for the orange. Not a huge Bugatti fan. Considering it does look decent and offers something slightly different in the W12 engine, I imagine this set and the GT40 would've been better received if they were the only Technic car sets being released this year, with only 1-2 such car sets being released in each of the preceding years (2020-2025). The constant flood of not-particularly-good Technic cars has made each of them less interesting and really tanked the Technic line's reputation. I think the design team needs a new lead, someone who isn't a car guy.
@sjr60 said:
"Oh how much better it could have looked if it had been Icons, or how much more Technical it could have been if it was a tractor!"
Or imagine it was real technic!
8880 could do it!
On the one hand, yeah, there are a lot of these recently. On the other hand, I think this one might be the best of the bunch so far in terms of how good the bodywork looks.
I've quite a collection of the 15-wide. This is a decent addition: engine novelty & a distinctive colour. I might actually get this one
@huw: didn’t 42083 have a W16 engine?
@EtudeTheBadger said:
"Oh look, another car."
Do you have a problem with cars or something?
@Agent_Brick_111 said:
"Do you have a problem with cars or something?"
I have a problem with the vast majority of Technic sets being cars.
@Smricha2 said:
" @huw : didn’t 42083 have a W16 engine?"
It does indeed. In 42083, the v16 is built as a normal v8 on top and then there are two in-line 4 attached each side (at an angle) and linked with gears. Obviously with such a design, you would just go buy a bread at the corner shop and after coming back, you would have to change all the gears inside the engine. Everybody in town and the next would know you are using the car for the noise.
The engine design in 42222 is better because there is only one crank shaft. Although, the current setup would be impossible to built like that in real life - this is just not the way a real internal combustion engine (ICE) works. Here, it only replicates the general motion of it but the physics in it is all wrong.
Meh.
It does look decent enough, but a tate-spec bugatti? It's a no from me..
Ya know, more of the same for Star Wars would be fine with me right about now.
As LEGO is churning out a high number of these models yearly, I think it is quite clear that they do sell well. And it is understandable: Many kids think supercars are fascinating, and probably parents (fathers) do too.
Parents may be oblivious to the fact that models with more interesting Technic functionality exist, like the front loader, or (pause as I browse for other examples to include, but fail to find just now).
The Ford GT40 model is clearly aimed towards middle aged men who have nostalgic feelings towards the car. And they might buy it for themselves, or their kids. It seems like a nice model, although a bit steeply priced and too black for my taste: A magnet for dust and fingerprints. This could be the start of a collection of models that they will expand later.
So even if these models seem dull for us Technic fans, I can see why they sell well.
W16 engines are a true miracle and I really need to find a real live photo of one. That disc contraption in the middle is really something other engines don't have. Engineering miracle. Lego so educative.
@Huw said:
"The flex tube used for the C line does not stay in place properly"
There is a detail on steps 219 and 230 which shows how the end of the flex tube should be blocked.
The border of the black CROSS BLOCK 3M piece should prevent the tube to move out of place. Maybe this trick really works ?