Quick look: 40894 Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear Steering Wheel
Posted by Huw,
When you buy 42232 Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear Megacar at LEGO.com this week, you'll receive the 228-piece 40894 Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear Steering Wheel as a gift with purchase.
I am still part way through building the Swedish supercar so I am not ready to review it yet. It arrived just before it was announced, which coincided with a heatwave here in the UK. I built the first few bags in the garden, but then it became too hot to carry on out there and too hot indoors as well. I've cracked on with it this week, though, and must have spent 10 or 12 hours on it in total, and I still have four bags of the 30 to do. It's a long and challenging build, that's not to be rushed.
In the meantime, I thought I had better get this GWP built and reviewed, given that it's only available for a few more days.
Summary
40894 Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear Steering Wheel, 228 pieces.
A realistic model of the car's distinctive steering wheel, with some neat functionality built-in
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
A model of a steering wheel does not sound too exciting, but the one in the real car is unique because the instrument cluster is built into it, and as the wheel is rotated the display rotates with it, so it's always vertical.
This feature, and the paddle-shift gear selectors, have been faithfully replicated in the model.
Below you can see that when the wheel is turned, the information shown on the instrument cluster at the top remains level. There are five stickers in the set and the one on the inverted circular tile is the only one that need be applied: the other four just add a carbon-fibre pattern to the panels on the base, so I didn't bother to apply them.
The circular dial on the right is not present on the real car but here it's showing which gear has been selected, and it rotates when the paddle shifters are operated.
Of course, there is no gearbox attached to the shifters, but the mechanism behind them is similar to that in the model of the car, incorporating a new 9-tooth cog which is spring-loaded and moves round one position left or right when the shifters are operated, which in turn rotates the gear indicator dial.
It has some interesting functionality built in to it, and overall it's a very decent GWP.
Technic GWPs are something of a rarity (this is only the second, excluding polybags), and it's only available until Tuesday, 7th July, so go and secure it at LEGO.com while you can!
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21 comments on this article
We should have had the controls from the Volvo EC500 as a GWP to accompany 42215.
I like the car, but this type of GWP does nothing for me. Apologies for being a bit negative, but here's how I see it. I wouldn't buy this separately as I don't think it displays well, and it would be boring to play with immediately after building it. So it doesn't lure me in to spend big money now on something that will likely be discounted later anyway.
It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)
I wouldn't say the GWP model is not ok, but is are still only 228 technic pieces.
Since the Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear will most likely be going on retail for aroud 30% off, makes this a very pricy GWP.
The car is on my wishlist, but i'll pass the GWP.
I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised by the functionality. Suddenly it feels less like a random tie-in display model and instead an actual technic model, and an unusual non-car one at that. It even allows you to see the mechanism.
No idea how it works though.
At first I was negative about this, because it has rather poor visual presence with those red and black pieces all over the place. But then I realized that it is finally a real Technic model that shows interesting mechanics and not just the looks. Since the koenigsegg is such a complicated build this gwp looks like a cool thing for the kid to build alongside parent.
"The Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear pays tribute to Christian [Koenigsegg]'s father, Jesko, who rode a horse named Sadair during his final race. It's the Jesko turned up to 11."
If it's named after the horse, it doesn't really pay tribute to its rider, does it? Who even cares about Jesko when his horse had a SPEAR? I want to know more about that horse and its spear-fighting adventures. Forget Jesko and... well, not the horse he rode in on, obviously.
@Crux said:
"
"
The Koenigsegg Sadair's Spear pays tribute to Christian (Koenigsegg)'s father, Jesko, who rode a horse named Sadair during his final race. It's the Jesko turned up to 11.
"
If it's named after the horse, it doesn't really pay tribute to its rider, does it? Who even cares about Jesko when his horse had a SPEAR? I want to know more about that horse and its spear-fighting adventures. Forget Jesko and... well, not the horse he rode in on, obviously.
"
They already made a set of said horse: 010423
The big L just be making sets of anything. Just buy a real steering wheel at this point bro
Honestly, I think this is quite cool, and it's different. Including one of the new 9t gears (ratchet wheel?) is a nice touch, as I suspect that it'll be unreasonably expensive on PAB, assuming it makes it there at all. However, I strongly suspect I'll be able to buy the car for roughly £130 under RRP (going by previous UCS cars) and is this worth £130?
No.
@WizardOfOss said:
"It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)"
Yeah, that is what some want.
@WizardOfOss said:
"It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)"
That's the problem with people who don't understand what Technic is about. They think sets like this look "crap".
They don't. They offer functionality and display those functions more or less openly, while still retaining a basic semblance of what they are trying to represent.
That has always been the whole reason for Technic sets and the only reason they need.
If you want looks, buy an Icons set, a Creator set, or basically any set other than Technic! Technic is for people who want to learn about mechanics, about how things function. Gears, motors, pneumatics, dampeners, joins and axles, rotors, hinges, pistons, pushrods, chain links, etc.
Looks are for goits, gimboids, smegheads - and Cats ;-)
Actually, a Technic set of a cat that produces a purring sound mechanically as well as featuring a moving head, legs and tail would be awesome - and something truly unique.
@AustinPowers said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)"
That's the problem with people who don't understand what Technic is about. They think sets like this look "crap".
They don't. They offer functionality and display those functions more or less openly, while still retaining a basic semblance of what they are trying to represent.
That has always been the whole reason for Technic sets and the only reason they need.
If you want looks, buy an Icons set, a Creator set, or basically any set other than Technic! "
Nah, this one actually does looks crap. Many of the great stes from the past looked skeletal, but that didn't automatically make them look bad. The limited color palette back also helped to make things look clean and purposeful.
This on the other hand looks messy, unfinished and nothing like the real thing.
Still wouldn't mind building, but not gonna pay top price for it and woulldn't put it on display after building.
@NexoKnightFan said:
"Just buy a real steering wheel at this point bro"
I just spent all my money on real plants!
@WizardOfOss said:
"This on the other hand looks messy, unfinished and nothing like the real thing."
It looks like a steering wheel made out of Technic pieces.
Goes to show what I said all along, that there's no need for a license.
Call this a generic steering wheel with a couple of functions and your fine. It doesn't have to be pretty or represent any particular prototype.
That was the beauty of the classic Technic sets. They were just generic construction equipment, cars, helicopters, submarines and what have you.
For me that's one of the fundamental issues with modern Technic, the overreliance on unnecessary licenses.
Best (or worst) example: 42215, one of the worst Technic sets in history versus 8043, arguably the best set (or at least one of the top three) the theme ever produced.
Same subject matter, totally different result.
@NexoKnightFan said:
"The big L just be making sets of anything. Just buy a real steering wheel at this point bro"
Stop complaining and just buy the real Koenigsegg Megacar bro.
@yellowcastle said:
" @NexoKnightFan said:
"Just buy a real steering wheel at this point bro"
I just spent all my money on real plants!"
A real bro would make a real wheel out of real plants, bro.
yawn
@WizardOfOss said:
" @AustinPowers said:
" @WizardOfOss said:
"It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)"
That's the problem with people who don't understand what Technic is about. They think sets like this look "crap".
They don't. They offer functionality and display those functions more or less openly, while still retaining a basic semblance of what they are trying to represent.
That has always been the whole reason for Technic sets and the only reason they need.
If you want looks, buy an Icons set, a Creator set, or basically any set other than Technic! "
Nah, this one actually does looks crap. Many of the great stes from the past looked skeletal, but that didn't automatically make them look bad. The limited color palette back also helped to make things look clean and purposeful.
This on the other hand looks messy, unfinished and nothing like the real thing.
Still wouldn't mind building, but not gonna pay top price for it and woulldn't put it on display after building."
I have thought about why I don't like the look of this, why I said earlier that I don't think it displays well. I think the main problem is the chaotic use of bright colors. It has splashes of bright colors both on the outside and on the inside. It highlights both the mechanics, the structure, and the outer skin. All at once. So the eye has a hard time seeing any of it, it all blurs together into one big mess. If you highlight everything, nothing stands out.
As an example, if the steering wheel was mainly black, the stand was mainly grey, and all the mechanics with gears and such was colored, I think this would have looked much better. It would have drawn attention to the functionality inside, while leaving the outside somewhat clean and cohesive. The opposite could also work; if the wheel and the stand was colored, and the mechanics, and nothing but the mechanics, was grey.
I'm usually not that sensitive to the blue pins and connectors. I understand why Lego does that, and sometimes it's not so bad. But sometimes it's worse, and this is such a case. Nothing else in the build is blue, and it contrast vividly against the redish orange. So they stand out, drawing the attention of the eye to something that has no meaning, effectively just further camouflaging the actually important parts.
Color choice is such a strong tool for visual design. I don't think they utilized that for this model.
@RTS013 said:
"As an example, if the steering wheel was mainly black, the stand was mainly grey, and all the mechanics with gears and such was colored, I think this would have looked much better. It would have drawn attention to the functionality inside, while leaving the outside somewhat clean and cohesive."
That's actually a great idea.
Unfortunately LEGO doesn't think along those lines.
@WizardOfOss said:
"It looks crap, but I do like the functionality! Function over form!
Wait....wasn't that exactly what we wanted from Technic sets? ;-)"
True!