LEGO Icons 11381 Jaguar E-Type official images!

50 shades of dark green on the bonnet.

Those transparent shields do not become headlights for me, no matter how hard I squint.

Looks very good. Happy that the car is not black ...

Kinda wonder how the front steering works, given that the front wheels seem to be very close to the front fender pieces. The steering angle must be very limited.

Edit: Ah, I see now that the front fender arches are a new piece. Probably a tile, which leaves more space for the wheel to turn behind it.

ah geez, thought i was over these large size cars but this actually looks really nice

Dark tan feather investors are in shambles

Happy to see the dark tan plumes! They are very expensive if I recall correctly.

This looks really, really good. Dark green is the perfect color choice, and we haven't seen it on an Icons/Creator Expert car in a long time so I'll be happy to have the variety in my display. The price is great too. I'm shocked we're seeing an Icons car under $0.10 ppp. I was convinced they'd be perpetually overpriced like Star Wars is. I can't quite tell whether there's stickers but it looks like the design wouldn't rely on them, and at this price I wouldn't complain.

Finally, my favourite car! I’ve been hoping and waiting for E-type since the release of Jaguar Speed Champions 76898 in 2020.

And it’s been a couple days since the last Lego E-type, 670-3 from 1964 :-)

Stunning. Sort from the horrendous color matching of the dark green pieces. How does that even happen?

I wasn't very excited about this one but it's fantastic...a very nice surprise. The build-up of the hood (bonnet, using the local term) is awfully thick, which sets the engine very low, but I guess that was necessary to achieve the shape with stability. The working soft-top is really fun, too. It's nice to have the convertible feature without a removable piece. Great job by the designer(s)!

This looks really bad to me. Headlights are plain ugly and all the round elements are way too bulky and do not capture the elegance of the original car. Probably the worst car one could select for a brick model without willing to produce special elements for all the rounded parts.

@Goujon said:
"Happy to see the dark tan plumes! They are very expensive if I recall correctly. "

It's a free car if you can sell them right away...

Very mixed feelings about this one.

For starters, some might consider this blasphemy, but I've never been the biggest fan of the E-type. It's by no means an ugly car, but it doesn't quite do it for me. And even more so for the convertible, I much prefer the coupe. Or, how about the XJ-S? Which I think would have worked a lot better in Lego form.

But looking at the Lego version, it's very much a mixed bag. I do think they captured the rear half very well, making good use of those curved pieces. Maybe a tad bulky, but it is Lego, not a scale model. And those wheels are cool, though (with the recent F&F Supra in mind) why not chromed? More towards the front those steps look a bit awkward. But the biggest issues are with the nose. Those shields as headlights just don't work. And whereas the real car has that iconic oval grill, there's just too many straight lines here, completely overshadowing those snowboards. I can't help but feel they should have went for some specialized pieces here. The softtop also looks ridiculously low, but who's gonna display it top up anyway?

And beyond the design, why also a green interior? I'd say either black, dark red, tan or nougat would have looked much better. And when the official pictures already show this many color inconsistancies and a few misaligned pieces, how is that gonna look in real life? It does seem all decorations are prints, at least that's a positive.

I appreciate the attempt, but can't help but feel this was bound to end up disappointing from the get-go. The XJ-S which I mentioned earlier obviously isn't quite as iconic as the E-type, but would have worked a lot better.

DARK TAN PLUMES ARE BACK BABY!!!!

I have to admit first impressions are of massive disappointment. I completely agree with @WizardOfOss on every point.
Proportions look way out and flat sides don’t help.
Aah Lego….. can’t fault you for trying but as others have mentioned, perhaps an E-Type was never going to translate well, particularly at this scale.

Those headlights are a disaster.
That front does not tell me "E-Type" at all.
And they couldn't even be bothered to edit out the horrendous colour-matching on the box art or press photos either.
LEGO should stop trying to replicate curvy cars if they won't invest in pieces to make them look decent.

Oho, my favourite car from The Italian Job!

Seriously, I used to love this thing; I think I might even still have the fridge magnet lying around somewhere.

I like the like the look, except for the headlights.

Very good from most angles, even if the headlight surrounds overhanging the bumper, and the blocky steps in the front wings look a bit weird. Can't really expect die-cast accuracy from building bricks I suppose. Overall, a pretty good attempt at the iconic shape, just not quite as perfect as I'd hoped. I thought last year's 10357 Shelby Cobra was more effective. Will still be a very early putchase for me though (day 1 if there's the right GWP).

Runs about as well as a real Jaguar, too. Points for authenticity.

@Goujon said:
"Happy to see the dark tan plumes! They are very expensive if I recall correctly. "

You probably don’t recall correctly enough. Someone mentioned it in my club’s Discord, and after looking them up, I almost had to go get something to drink so I could do a proper spit-take.

@watcher21 said:
"You can still tell the apart, the new feathers have a different mould mark"

Mold differences aren’t that consequential compared to, “I need a bunch of this part for a MOC, and it only came in a rare and exclusive minifig” changing into “I need a bunch of this part for a MOC, and in a few months I can just order them from OPAB.”

Ooh, look, it's a Jaaaaaaaaaggg....

Don't take it on a foggy UK road, though. It might foul its spark plugs and break down on a random cliff called "Dogger Bank."

The model looks good enough, to my non-discerning eye. Instantly recognizable, in my opinion. It matches the aesthetic feel of the other large scale cars (e.g., 10242, 10262, 10295, 10321). I will continue to not understand the AFOL war against LEGO sets looking like LEGO. I don't want a scale model of the real car - Hot Wheels does that - I want a LEGO representation of the real car. I therefore expect concessions on shaping; as long as the feature is captured as accurately as can be using existing LEGO elements, it's good. I'm so sick of LEGO creating bespoke special molds for all these sets, like the new 2X8 panel used for the wheel arches here. And to suggest LEGO should have made even more special one-off molds just to 1:1 replicate some subtle curve? How can AFOLs claim the blocky, 4-wide cars of the '60s sets were so good and then turn around and complain about modern LEGO cars looking even remotely square? It's a double-standard, and it's the AFOL community's fault that LEGO is forced to pursue ever more realistic "scale-model" sets and the special molds that pursuit entails. The aesthetic balance achieved in the 2010's was good. We do not need an endless spread of single-purpose curved elements.

I will agree the color-matching is horrendous, though. I know LEGO is aware of the issue and has attempted to mitigate it, but they're definitely not trying hard enough. If they insist on blending their own ABS colors, they should try measuring the amount of dye they put in, rather than eyeballing it.

@rick77 said:
"50 shades of dark green on the bonnet.

Those transparent shields do not become headlights for me, no matter how hard I squint."

Wanted to say the exact same thing. How hard can it be? Look at the Mattel Mercedes SL, that one is perfect at a better price.

@BLProductions said:
"I will continue to not understand the AFOL war against LEGO sets looking like LEGO. I don't want a scale model of the real car - Hot Wheels does that - I want a LEGO representation of the real car. I therefore expect concessions on shaping; as long as the feature is captured as accurately as can be using existing LEGO elements, it's good. I'm so sick of LEGO creating bespoke special molds for all these sets, like the new 2X8 panel used for the wheel arches here. And to suggest LEGO should have made even more special one-off molds just to 1:1 replicate some subtle curve? How can AFOLs claim the blocky, 4-wide cars of the '60s sets were so good and then turn around and complain about modern LEGO cars looking even remotely square? It's a double-standard, and it's the AFOL community's fault that LEGO is forced to pursue ever more realistic "scale-model" sets and the special molds that pursuit entails. The aesthetic balance achieved in the 2010's was good. We do not need an endless spread of single-purpose curved elements."
isn't at least part of the problem that Lego itself is trying as much as they can to hide it is Lego? I mean, there's not a single stud to be seen. Nor regular bricks, it is all rather special elements, some even specially designed for this particular set. And the thing is, the closer they get to an actual scale model, the more the imperfections stand out. Even more so when some of the most defining elements of the car are off.

In that regard I think it is interesting to look back at some older models. They did a VW Beetle twice: 10187 in what I would consider very much an old school Lego style, and 8 years later 10252 in a much cleaner, more "modern" style. Despite the older one looking much rougher, I much prefer that one as it is more accurate when you look through those studs. And that's kinda similar with the 10220 VW T1 v.s the 10279 T2. The former isn't as smooth and refined, but it looks like Lego, while the latter tries to hide it so badly it lost all of its charm.

And I'm not the biggest fan one single use parts either. But having recently built the Mattel NSX, I can't help but feel that it looks better than any of the big lego cars, while still for most part being a proper brick built set, not a model kit in disguise. Just a handful of unique pieces (most obviously the window pieces) go a very long way.

But that's kinda the thing: Either commit to the traditional brick built look and embrace the limitations of that, or go all the way for accuracy. Too many of these Lego models end up in this uncanny valley, and to me, a bit too often that just doesn't really work. Even less so considering they have a tendency to pick curvy cars that are particularly hard to replicate in brick form.

Headlights are prints on the Koenigsegg, everyone's upset
Headlights are brick built on the Jaguar, everyone's upset
Meanwhile, I'm just happy for anything that isn't a sticker.

OK, so go ahead, everyone, shoot me. I’m not a car or tech person and only recently came to Lego as a retiree who never had Lego as a child. I enjoy beautiful design, though, and this is really lovely. I’ll likely buy it on Day 1, that’s how attractive I find it. I love that it’s sleek & doesn’t have an exterior loaded with studs. I expect people will vote with their wallets and it will sell quite well. So there, I’ve said it.

@TranquilGardenDweller said:
"OK, so go ahead, everyone, shoot me. I’m not a car or tech person and only recently came to Lego as a retiree who never had Lego as a child. I enjoy beautiful design, though, and this is really lovely. I’ll likely buy it on Day 1, that’s how attractive I find it. I love that it’s sleek & doesn’t have an exterior loaded with studs. I expect people will vote with their wallets and it will sell quite well. So there, I’ve said it. "

Never let a comment section talk you out of liking things. :) Your taste — and you certainly aren’t alone, there are a lot of people in this thread who like it a lot — is just as valid as anyone else’s.

I hope you have a great time building the set!

@Hiratha said:
" @TranquilGardenDweller said:
"OK, so go ahead, everyone, shoot me. I’m not a car or tech person and only recently came to Lego as a retiree who never had Lego as a child. I enjoy beautiful design, though, and this is really lovely. I’ll likely buy it on Day 1, that’s how attractive I find it. I love that it’s sleek & doesn’t have an exterior loaded with studs. I expect people will vote with their wallets and it will sell quite well. So there, I’ve said it. "

Never let a comment section talk you out of liking things. :) Your taste — and you certainly aren’t alone, there are a lot of people in this thread who like it a lot — is just as valid as anyone else’s.

I hope you have a great time building the set!"

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement. You’re right, of course, and even the critiques do often mention something favorable about the set. Reading comments on Lego in various places online, though, I do feel that in general I’m in a distinct minority since I don’t yearn for the standard sets & themes (castles, pirates, medieval, big gray ultimate spaceships, etc.) and prefer realistic-looking sets that make one stop to think - what, this is made from LEGO?! How did they make it look so real?!