Review: Jaguar e-cars
Posted by Huw,
76898 Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 Car & Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY is one of two 2-car Speed Champions sets being released in January.
It's the first to be based on Jaguar cars, and also the first electric cars in the series.
Let's take the 8-wide vehicles for a spin to see how they perform...
Parts
The highlight of the set as far as parts go are the medium azure ones, of which there are around 120, many of them appearing in that attractive and desirable colour for the first time.
These new 3x2 wedge plates are of particular interest. They were first seen in images of the forthcoming 75272 Sith TIE Fighter, in red and black, where they form the tips of the wings.
Each car has its own sticker sheet, both of which are extensive, so if you're allergic to stickers you may want to think twice about buying this set.
Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 Car
The underframe uses the new wheel axle elements used in the Ferrari, but not the new large chassis piece.
There's a reasonable attempt at replicating the look of wishbone suspension on the front axle which I appreciate.
Here's what the real vehicle looks like. To the untrained eye Formula E cars look much like Formula 1 vehicles but with covers over their front wheels and no rear spoiler.
(Photo from Jaguarracing.com)
Here's the completed LEGO version:
Within the limits of the media I think it's a reasonable effort. I'm hoping not to start a whole new debate about wheel sizes but on the real car the rear ones appear to be quite a lot larger than the front, which is not the case here.
The distinctive 'V' shape at the back between the wings is effectively created using two quadrilateral flags.
The protective bar around the driver is formed using a flex tube with a very small radius bend. It's a shame the medium azure does not continue over the top of the front wheel arches, but because of the design of the wheel arch piece it's impossible without adding a tile to the top which would make it too high.
The driver is kitted out in Panasonic Jaguar overalls that match the livery of the car.
Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY
The i-Pace is the British manufacturer's electric SUV and the eTrophy version is that used for racing.
It's a chunky looking car!
The LEGO version is similarly chunky, and also pretty much solid for some reason.
The completed model is therefore quite heavy. The sides are covered in stickers but none are particularly difficult to apply if you use tweezers or similar.
The roof is also covered with stickers except, bizarrely, the two 1x6 tiles at the front, which are printed. It's as if the design team had a bit of money left and hadn't used their quota of new elements up so they decided to print them. I can't see them being useful elsewhere so it's a bit of a waste.
It would have been better to print the windshield because it's tricky to get the sticker on and aligned properly around the curve of the windscreen. Mine is about .5mm out at the ends.
The spoiler at the back can be adjusted thanks to the use of droid arms, and should probably have been positioned horizontally before I took these photos...
The rear axle is higher than the front so the car has a realistic looking slant to it. The road-going version uses 245/50R20 tyres which should have a scale diameter of 25mm, assuming the car is approx.1:30 like the other new Speed Champions sets so, at 24mm, those used here are slightly too small.
The front of the car looks superb and is a joy to build, thanks to half of it being constructed upside down before being connected to the rest of the car using some nifty SNOT techniques.
Its headlights are suggested by the grey wedge plates. It's a shame they are not trans clear.
The vehicle is driven by a female with a very determined look on her face!
Height wise, there is no problem seating her in the car with either her helmet or hair but she does have to bend forwards a bit because there's no clearance at the back for her hair or helmet, which is unfortunate.
The steering wheel is offset from her centre by half a stud again.
I haven't mentioned it yet but the windshield piece is new.
Start line gantry
Thankfully the 2020 Speed Champions sets are largely free of superfluous trackside accessories and other unwanted mini-models but this one does come with a start line gantry.
It's still superfluous in my view, although it does have a neat play feature which I concede will please young builders.
The box in the centre conceals three lights.
As the axle is pulled out they drop down: red, followed by amber, then green, which is quite cool I suppose.
The completed model
2 cars, 2 drivers, 1 gantry.
Verdict
It's unlikely that many people will be familiar with the vehicles in this set, particularly as Formula E is a somewhat niche motorsport at the moment, so it's never going to be as popular as 76895 Ferrari F8 Tributo.
If it wasn't for the medium azure colour scheme they would be competent models, but nothing particularly special. The colour, however, lifts them out of the ordinary and it may well be that it is sufficient to tempt many AFOLs and kids alike into buying the set. Maybe 'eco-friendly' parents will buy it in preference to a model of a gas guzzler for their kids, too.
76898 Formula E Panasonic Jaguar Racing GEN2 Car & Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY will be available from 1st January. I am unsure of the price but I would guess in the region of £/$/€ 34.99 to 39.99.
Thanks for LEGO for providing the set for this review. All opinions expressed my own.
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43 comments on this article
Hot take; these two vehicles should have been sold separately - I imagine a lot of people are only interested in one or the other. I have never cared for Speed Champions but feel mild interest for the Formula-E car. However, having to buy that oddly chunky eTrophy whatever thing along with it kills any and all desire I might have had to buy its open cockpit cousin.
I prefer the LEGO Speed Champions cars to be eight wide because they get more realistic and more detailed.
These are a definite for me. I’ve wanted cars in that color for ages, really glad they’re here
Does the Formula racer leave a solid wall of light behind it when it drives? That would certainly make racing a more exciting event to watch.
The windshield part is a bit disappointing to me in that I would like to see something a bit more utilitarian that it can be readily used for an old car that is 6-8 studs wide, the extension of it back along the sides is what bothers me (as I know it is a sticker that can come off) . Wish they could just have a 6 wide windshield that mimics old car windshields.. maybe there is hope for a future speed champion set for an older car (60/70s).. Maybe the one in the Audio Quattro rally car?
It seems like a lot of Speed Champions sets don't angle sharply enough at the front, or are too thick in the front. Someone mentioned this with the Ferrari.
These look great though, loving the medium azure.
I agree without the azure I wouldn’t even be considering. Then again, $29.99 on the Lego site. So with a discount... probably worth it.
I know that we are not really allowed to mention the wheels. But all they had to do was scale them up, accordingly, to the new 8-wide scale.
They even could have used the original six-wide scale wheel for the fronts on the Formula E car and the newer 8-wide scale designed wheels to represent the fatter rears.
Still, the Lambo looks extremely good to me, as does the Audi actually (that one always appeared to have undersized wheels when it actually raced, probably due to the wonderfully brutally angular bodywork).
Still, there is no denying that this Jag set brings some wonderful azure blue pieces to the party, and personally, I can really make use of the official Jaguar stickers included as well.
I used to really appreciate the extra pit buildings, garages etc when they were included with some of the older sets, I know that these are described as being superfluous in the review above, but it was just nice to set up all the historical equipment etc.
My dream set now, would probably be a Jaguar D-Type paired with a Le Mans XJR-9, with a Jag pit garage and crew.
I agree with Yuffie.....that Pace looks like an SUV to me. The back is not contoured enough.
Love the colors though.
It is a SUV...
@TCSBGDADY said:
"that Pace looks like an SUV to me."
The thing is though, the Pace technically is an SUV.
Am I missing something? The I-pace is the worst looking car I think I've ever seen. It's a solid block of bricks on wheels with an, admittedly nice, new colour. Eight studs wide or not I'm going to give this wave a miss. Excellent review and pictures as ever.
I need my Audi, hurry up Jan!
Day one purchase for me. I really appreciate the colors, am a great fan of the electric Formula shapes, the roof top of the SUV is so nice, and this new 8 studs wide design definitely makes those car renditions so much more accurate and enjoyable IMO. Those two, the Ferrari, and Lamborghini will come to join my modest SC display as soon as available. Thank you for the complete review.
I wonder if it'd be possible to modify the SUV to seat at least one additional minifig? Shame about all that unused space.
As for the colour scheme medium azure has to be one of the most striking Lego colours ever!
Oh look, an electric shoebox!
The color is great! I'm sure I'll buy this eventually, but I'm not super enthusiastic about it. Nice to see Jaguar joining the ranks, but these are not the most exciting pick they could have made...
Unlike most people, I actually think I prefer the I-PACE to the Formula E car. I like the overall design of it (even how chunky it is) and I think that with or without stickers it could make an excellent addition to any city layout (assuming the scale roughly matches). I personally find the wheel covers on the Formula E car to look way too angular (although this may be accurate). It just kind of reduces the streamlining of the vehicle (at least to me). Great models overall, and the starting gantry is kind of neat.
@MrClassic said:
"I wonder if it'd be possible to modify the SUV to seat at least one additional minifig? Shame about all that unused space."
There's plenty of room for a co-driver if that's what you mean.
@Huw No I meant behind the front seats.
Well those giant sticker sheets turned me off of this set. I’m guessing LEGO had to go with them per Jaguar IP, i.e. stickers make the body lines easier to realize than brick pieces. Also, as Huw had noted, missed opportunity to not use transparent pieces for the iPace headlights. Also anyone noticed the astronomical price difference between the Lamborghini & this set; Lambo is almost, if not actually, double the price!!!
@andrelego said:
"I prefer the LEGO Speed Champions cars to be eight wide because they get more realistic and more detailed."
I disagree, namely, the wheels look now undersized. Besides, I own every other car of the collection by far in 2019, the 8-stud width looks messy in comparison to the classic 6-stud width.
For the details of the cars, yes, I agree.
Imagining the Lamborghini Huracan with the Ford GT and Porsche 911... Too wide
The I-pace car's size really looks like it would fit 4 figures but it has no backseat row at all.
I guess they had to make the car sturdier that way but it's a shame.
Also another case of the lights being too bright on the box art adding artificial glow effects.
That's a really elegant way to sidestep having that monster of a set name as the title of the review.
The only thing I'm really excited for in this set is that it means Lego has the Jaguar licence.
Lego PLEASE make a Creator Expert Jaguar E-Type.
*Going to 8-wide didn't really help make Speed Champions cars look better
* Too wide for City streets
* Too many stickers
* Nice colors
I like these cars, especially the Formula E car, but still doubtfull about what is better: 6 or 8 stud-wide?
With the rest of cars of our collections, they will look very wide, and City streets are not so wide!!!
Billund, we have a problem!!!
What’s the angle on those new wedge plates? Which set of wedges does it match? Does anyone know?
I’m hoping some proper Aethersprites appear soon. I’ve been wanting parts like that for a long, LONG time.
I like the chunky car better than the Formula car. XD
@peterlmorris said:
"What’s the angle on those new wedge plates? Which set of wedges does it match? Does anyone know? "
If New Elementary doesn't do an article on them soon I will.
I really would like to see a "race in a box" rather than this design of two different cars from different race categories.
Two formula 1 cars either using team mates or different manufacturers, two rally cars, two touring cars.
That colour is rather attractive though, they certainly stand out.
I love the colors!
With the new 8-wide plans, I'd love a 1970 442 set.
Thats alot of stickers!!
However I love the cars and the drivers outfits, Azure was my favourite but I like this new blue too..
Cars are too wide. It makes the Minifigures look like tiny drivers or really small children driving. Lego please fix the proportions. Make the Minifigures a bit bigger or scale down the cars. Something is just off with the sizing.
These look very good. Speed Champions is one of the few themes I purchase annually . The color scheme offers a variance from the red of the Ferraris and the other common colors. Hopefully with going to 8-wide, the American cars will get better. I haven't purchased any of those because they aren't aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
@Liquidus_Snake:
I really don't get this line of thought. They made the car wider, but not longer or taller. You can't see the wheels from the front, and you can't see the extra width from the side. Huw did the math and it works out. Best I can figure out is that knowing that they made the car bigger makes some people feel like the parts should be bigger, too, but the wheels match the side profile of the car. Compare them to a minifig, and these supercar tires come up to mid-chest. Does that still sound too small?
@TeriXeri:
That's just a common problem with official LEGO vehicles. Their latest Ford Anglia is the same size as mine, but theirs seats minifigs like a motorcycle (one in front, one behind, with both riding in the center of the vehicle). Mine has two minifigs in the front seat, and a back seat that's still big enough to hold a crate, an owl, and a rat. Mine probably uses about twice as many parts, and isn't quite as sturdy as theirs, though, so it's not really a kid-friendly design and would probably never be approved for sale.
@Lego_K:
Speed Champions is a weird theme to begin with, since it's got a fairly wide blend of different car brands represented, but to date I don't recall a single set featuring more than one brand of car. There's probably a reason for this. Under the current system, each set features one car brand logo, where a true race set would need multiple logos, and that would lead to petty infighting over who gets the best logo placement, and race order for the cars (unless LEGO specifically says they want to use the official starting positions of a real race to determine the box art, and the official results to determine logo placement). The other side of this is that any single-branded set can be sold at dealerships and other types of company stores. No car brand is going to want to carry a LEGO set that features their competitors, even if they've got a featured car in that same set.
@peterlmorris:
Judging by the picture, they are a 3.5x2 wedge plate. Done in the same style as the 3x2 wedge plates, this would match a 7x5. Currently, it appears that the closest match is the leading edge on a 3474 4x8 airplane tail.
@Lego_K said:
"I really would like to see a "race in a box" rather than this design of two different cars from different race categories."
You would think that 'technically' that should be possible (however unlikely). The Volkswagen Group, for example, have under their umbrella of subsidiaries, Bentley, Audi, Seat, Porsche, Lamborghini, etc.
In that context it would be great to get a Bentley/Audi Le Mans twin pack.
But I think that they (understandably) probably prefer to represent the brands with a sort of immediate continuity when it comes to the multi-packs.
I'd like a Tesla Model 3 please as the next Creator Expert vehicle.
:-)
Looking at it, I'd quite like to see the formula-e with azure front fenders.
@Huw said:
" @peterlmorris said:
"What’s the angle on those new wedge plates? Which set of wedges does it match? Does anyone know? "
If New Elementary doesn't do an article on them soon I will.
"
@huw, do you have the Design-ID of the two plates? I want to upload them to the LDraw Parts Tracker, but don't have their numbers
Thanks
In real life those Formula E cars all use identical chassis, so it's theoretically possible for Lego to produce the whole grid with new stickers and just a few re-colours.
So, pretty please Lego, can you make the Porsche Formula E car for us? Pretty please?
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With regard to those little wedge plates, they match the angle of the new 6x4 wedge plates, as seen in Major Vonreg's TIE Fighter and the upcoming Sith TIE Fighter.
The Formula E is way oversized. It should be 6 studs.
I will probably get it!