A trio of classic cars
Posted by Huw,
The Creator Expert classic vehicles are among the finest sets LEGO produces. Although I have them all, I've not yet built the camper, London bus, Aston Martin or the Mustang, so I'm hopeful that I'll find the time to clear some of the backlog in the coming weeks.
This week I built the 10271 Fiat 500 that LEGO sent us to review. Unfortunately it didn't arrive before I went away at the beginning of March, so CapnRex101 purchased one on release to do so. You can read his review here.
I haven't built many sets that have not been for review purposes recently, so it was a much more enjoyable experience than usual. I didn't have to rush, or keep pausing to take photos: I could just savour the experience.
That said, now I've finished building it, I thought it would be cool to line it up with the other classic small European cars in the range to see how it compares, and also determine if they are built to the same scale.
It seems hard to believe that 10242 Mini Cooper MK VII was released 6 years ago in 2014, and 10252 Volkswagen Beetle in 2016, so there's been many advancements in building techniques and a myriad of new parts, in particular small curved ones, released since then.
Looking at them together like this the older two look quite 'clunky' although I don't recall thinking that at the time of their release.
Scale wise, there is some variation. Here's data showing the dimensions (in mm) of the real vehicles, the models, and finally, how the two compare.
We can see, then, that the mini is about 1:12 but is too wide (1:10), the Beetle is roughly 1:14 but is just a little too high. The Fiat, however, is pretty much spot on at 1:12 in all dimensions.
The Mini's width discrepancy can clearly be seen here.
Nevertheless, they make a good-looking display together.
Of the three, the Fiat is definitely my favourite. It just looks right. In particular, I like the way the bodywork above the front and rear wheel arches tapers inwards towards the ends, which gives the vehicle a realistic and streamlined look that the other two lack.
The only room for improvement that comes to mind is that it would have benefited from a curved windscreen, something that's quite noticeable on the real car. Of course, that's not something that would fit in well with the LEGO system.
(image from Catawiki. It sold for £4k)
The cool yellow colour is the icing on the cake...
If you've not yet added the Fiat to your collection you can purchase it, exclusively at the moment, from LEGO.com for £75 / $90 / 80€.
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27 comments on this article
I've never been interested in the cars LEGO range but those are some interesting facts and stats.
@Slobrojoe said:
"I've never been interested in the cars LEGO range but those are some interesting facts and stats."
Took the words right out of my mouth!
Thanks for these little incidental articles, Huw. Can't wait to see your full collection along with all the measurements & scales... ;-)
These also look great next to the Mustang, which is also on a slightly different scale. I really like the mix of colours between the cars. They’re really complimentary. I’m hoping we get a classic 2CV Citroen at some point. Maybe in red?
I really am disappointed I missed out on the Mini Cooper, didn't even know it was going to retire when it did. I thought it was going to retire at the end of this year not last, and now its virtually impossible to get it below retail wished I had pulled the trigger sooner.
This scale comparison is very interesting, I was wondering about it! Thanks! Do it for other cars!
Thanks for this piece, very interesting! I am meaning to get the Fiat -- already have the other two on display and I like them both a lot.
Many thanks @Huw for this great article.
Four weeks ago when I built the Fiat 500 F, I also took the opportunity to make some comparison with other classic cars, like the Ferrari F40, the Aston Martin DB5, the VW Beetle , the Ford Mustang and the VW T1 Camper.
I posted my comment in the CapnRex101's review .
Yes, the scaling is a recurrent theme.
@drscottypavarotti said:
"These also look great next to the Mustang, which is also on a slightly different scale. I really like the mix of colours between the cars. They’re really complimentary. I’m hoping we get a classic 2CV Citroen at some point. Maybe in red?"
Or purple/black!
After building the Fiat, I still like the Mini Cooper very much. I think the scaling of the Mini is good actually, since it is mostly the fenders and wheels that make for the extra width.
Without the wide fenders it could be around one or two studs less wide, making it close to scale 1:10 in the lateral direction.
@drscottypavarotti said:
"These also look great next to the Mustang, which is also on a slightly different scale. I really like the mix of colours between the cars. They’re really complimentary. I’m hoping we get a classic 2CV Citroen at some point. Maybe in red?"
Oooh! Citroen 2CV! It would be great continuation of the car line. And what next? Jaguar E-type? And maybe one more time Citroen: DS? I hope LEGO will keep on going with these classical cars.
https://motorblock.at/die-5-besten-selbstgemachten-lego-autos/
Thanks for this, although I suspect the Mini's extra width is mostly accounted for by the arch extensions and wider wheels.
Would love a 2CV to complete the set of European peoples' cars...
I would love an article like this with scale comparisons on all the cars. I have them all displayed together and they look great as a full set as well!
^ Happy to publish if you want to write it!
Too funny, last month I bought the Fiat and VW to complement the Mini so I can have this display in my home office too! Greatly looking forward to building them. Thanks for the photo of the real car, I had been wondering whether it really didn't have side mirrors!
I only have the mustang which i built a couple of weeks ago. It’s incredible. The others pale in comparison IMO. I still don’t think the Fiat looks right
I may have to get the Fiat to go with my Mustang
@drscottypavarotti said:
"I’m hoping we get a classic 2CV Citroen at some point."
I thought the blue one was a 2CV ;p
I would love a 2CV!!! It would be such a great match with the cars they've produced thus far. The holy grail for me is a late 60s or early 70s Porsche 911. I'm really surprised they have not made that yet. Each year I hope a classic 911 will be the reveal. Still hoping!
Almost got the Fiat, then DPD changed their mind and shipped it back to LEGO. Waiting for the replacement order now...
Based on pictures sofar the Mini remains my favourite of the three. The pale yellow doesn't help.
To complete the set of classic cheap cars the next one has to be a 2CV, preferably a Charleston.
After that? Hmm... a DS, an Amazon, a gull-wing Merc, a 1980s 911, an E-type... Or from the other side of the pond a classic Corvette or a pink Cadillac?
LEGO should really do some French cars next - the HY van (customizable as a food truck, rallye service or a florist's van) and the DS with working hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension (the pneumatic tanks & pumps seem to be still available in 9641, an Educational set)
You, sir....are amazing.
Anyone knows if there will be a micro version of 500? Like LEGO do with mini and beetle...
Just...nobody complain about the wheels being out of scale with the rest of the car!
@Duq:
Pink Cadillac might be a bit tricky, depending on how many pink parts are in production at the time. Then again, I'd have probably said the same thing about this shade of yellow.
I do not have any of these. The one that I regret a little of not getting is the Mini. The difference in scale in width can probably partially be explained by wider wheels and fenders (mudguards?)... Sometimes a little exaggeration works in my opinion.
I have the Mustang and am planning to build it soon. I am curious to see the scale comparison on that :)
edit: It says here that Mini Mk VII (that seems to have those wider fenders) is 1440mm wide :)
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/mini/mini_mini/mini_vii_cooper/1996.html
Sorry, I'm 30mm out :)
The only one in the line that I didn't really like was the Aston Martin, while some compromise in terms of the curved shapes when translating to LEGO is expected it still felt off, the Fiat is also quite "boxy" but is surprisingly well done, my favorite in the line so far is probably either the Mustang or Ferrari F40, the former is pretty much spot on as far as I can tell and I appreciate the important parts being printed and the F40 is pretty much a Lego engineering masterpiece.
Even though the models are slightly out of scale in relation to each other they look great together on display, I'm looking forward to getting the Fiat at some point in the future though it's getting a little difficult to find room for more.
I have the Fiat still in the box waiting to be built, but even so my favorite remains the Mini by quite some margin, followed by the F40 and then the Mustang. The Fiat might come in at number four, followed by the Beetle, the Campervan and the London Bus. Not to forget the Caterham, which I also like to include in the line. The only one I really dislike is the Aston Martin. It just looks so unlike the real thing that I have even taken it out of the display cabinet and put it in the cardboard box where I store all my sets that are going to be dismantled soon for parts reusage. Really annoyed I wasted my money on that one.