Review: 40517 Mini Vespa
Posted by Huw,
10298 Vespa 125 is not the only model of the classic Italian scooter you'll be able to buy next week because a much smaller version, 40517 Vespa, is also being released that day, for a 1/10th of the price: $9.99 and £8.99.
It's an interesting situation: I can't recall another time when two models of the same thing have been launched at once, and I wonder whether sales of this one will cannibalise those of its bigger sibling?
Summary
40517 Vespa, 118 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 7.6p/8.5c/8.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A mini version of the classic scooter that's perfect for Vespa fans who don't have the space or budget for the bigger one
- Well proportioned despite some inaccuracies
- Ugly dark grey Technic plate looks out of place
- Wheels look too small
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Despite its diminutive size the model is well proportioned, although the wheels look smaller and wider than they should, and the deep central part of the footwell is not right at all.
You won't be surprised to learn that the steering column is fixed but, because of that and the wide tyres, it can balance on its wheels without the need for a stand.
A few stickers provide details including a 1946 number plate, the year the Vespa was first manufactured. I don't like the dark grey 2x8 Technic plate: it sticks out like a sore thumb, but a red version hasn't appeared in a set since 2018, so I guess it's out of production.
Here it is next to 10298 Vespa 125. If you've not yet read our review of it please do so.
It's a neat little model and, despite a few design flaws, unmistakably a Vespa. It's perfect for those who have an affection for the scooter but without the room or budget for the larger one. It doesn't have the same wow-factor or presence as the bigger version of course, but it is nevertheless a very decent model.
It'll be available at LEGO.com from 1st March.
155 likes
38 comments on this article
2 Tumblers releasing at the same time last year
This is good enough for me. Love the Creator mini model series.
@Huw : This set is assigned to the "Creator Expert" theme in the database. Should it be "Creator" instead? This seems to be marketed with the recent 40468 taxi and 40518 high-speed train, which are in the Creator theme.
EDIT: Now fixed... thanks!
I swear I got the London Bus and its mini GWP at the same time.
I'm all over both! I will be happy to mod the smaller version to remedy the 'cons' list!
@quixotequest said:
"I swear I got the London Bus and its mini GWP at the same time."
They have had simultaneous mini GWP several times, but not a set -for separate sale- AFAIK. Glad to see that this is not GWP!
Yeah, this is lovely, and we can just buy it. What a concept. I don't know if I'm in for the big vespa (my moped was another of piaggio's models), but this is certainly something I'll be buying.
So I thought I'd buy the bigger if it were in red, but now I don't know..
Something seems off about this mini model. The front steering column is too wide. Just doesn't look right to me.
The red is a bit much and now I think I do like the light blue more. What a conundrum...
I like it more than big one. It has big Lego spirit is a small body.
Looks good for the scale!
Every time LEGO releases a large-scale expensive licensed vehicle, I think there should be a mini version offered for general release/sale; not just as a GWP with a high threshold/only with the purchase of the set. $10 is a no-brainer for me. Been meaning to get further out of the dark ages, and this is yet more of an incentive for me to get some odds and ends off LEGO.com.
I'll be purchasing both models, at some point. The smaller one will go on a shelf next to the Creator Expert 911, and the bigger one will get a shelf of its own (or maybe share space with the white Speed Champions 911, just to be absurd).
Is there a reason why you need the holes in a technic plate instead of just using a standard red plate? If they need the holes they could have used black to match the seat if no red available. Is that a new technic part holding the front wheels? I wonder how difficult it would be to make it able to steer using a hinge or 'Tile 1 x 2 with Perpendicular Beam' part 32520?
I had no interest in the larger one. I might pick up the smaller one at some point since it's just $10. (Maybe when I need something to put me over the $35 for free shipping.)
I prefer the smaller one. Has this been officially revealed yet?
@ambr said:
"Is there a reason why you need the holes in a technic plate instead of just using a standard red plate? If they need the holes they could have used black to match the seat if no red available. Is that a new technic part holding the front wheels? I wonder how difficult it would be to make it able to steer using a hinge or 'Tile 1 x 2 with Perpendicular Beam' part 32520?"
From the looks of it the axle connecting the back section to the front extends two modules out from the Technic bricks (which equates to a brick and two plates). If you shortened the Technic axle by one module you could replace the technic plate with a standard plate, but the connection wouldn't necessarily be as stable (since the axle would only be long enough to connect firmly to the 2x2 round plate, not the 2x2 brick with Technic pin in front of it).
In terms of color choices, the Technic plate hasn't come in red since 2018 and reintroducing a color might have been outside the budget of a small set like this (plus having it a separate color might have been considered preferable to help distinguish it from the "standard" plates in red on a low age-range set like this one). Black would've been a currently available option but I think they chose grey to match the metal undercarriage instead of the leather seat cover.
Odd perhaps, but I probably would have got swayed on this if they had chromed it out with silver-inked elements. That's what I've always liked about Vespas. Otherwise, I like it but don't love it. And I agree after seeing this small one, that the red in the big size probably would be a little 'much'.
Not bad at all for such a small model.
About the size, could someone compare it with the Fiat 500? I've the idea that it could be more similar in scale and suitable to display with it, in some way.
@bengambrill1012:
And neither was a GWP. I’m sure there have been at least a few instances of SW vehicles and polybag mini models of the same thing. I don’t know how close the timing is, but I’m pretty sure I scored 30495 right around the same time that 75322 launched, and they’re notable for being the only two sets based on the Hoth version from Ep5 (all others are based on the shorter Endor version from Ep6, or some other recent source material).
I'd like to get a Vespa, but only if Lego gets around to approving that Spaceballs set.
Red wunz go fasta.
Fact.
Oh man, this looks great! @Huw, you are so wrong. There is nothing wrong with this one. It's beautiful! A must-have! Yay!
@bananaworld:
Well, it costs 1/10th what the blue one goes for. However, I’m sure they’ll make a lot more of these for launch.
@bengambrill1012 said:
"2 Tumblers releasing at the same time last year
"
Yeah, while not EXACTLY the same time, it was close enough. And in my case, I was fully prepared to buy the big tumbler, but the small one ended up being SOOOO GOOD, that it was enough for me. So it did steal at least one sale from itself...
Mind you, this one doesn't look anywhere near as good as the big version...
@Huw any chance of a pic of this little one parked next to something like the Fiat 500 for a scale comparison?
@Calabar said:
"Not bad at all for such a small model.
About the size, could someone compare it with the Fiat 500? I've the idea that it could be more similar in scale and suitable to display with it, in some way. "
I was thinking the same. the fiat 500 is about 1:12th scale, and this one works bout to be around 1:12-1:14th scale, so in theory should work pretty well together!
Unlike it's larger counterpart, I think this will fit quite nicely into my collection!
Will definitely get both.
Would have been nice if it was a GWP with the larger one AND available as an outright purchase, then everyone would have been happy!
I wonder if this is scaled to 10298 as 10298 is next to a real one.
@Calabar and @SillyTwig
There is a picture of the two big vehicles in the database and you could mentally compare it with the last image from this review.
https://images.brickset.com/sets/AdditionalImages/10298-1/10298_alt10.jpg
@PurpleDave:
I suspect 30495 and 75322 were meant to launch at the same time. I think stores just don't care about polybags; they seem to put them out... "Eh, when you get around to it..."
I'd guess that for every person who might have bought the big Vespa, but opts for the little one, there's another person who starts with the little, and likes it enough to also get the bigger.
Then there are some who will "need" both! :)
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
"I'll be purchasing both models, at some point. The smaller one will go on a shelf next to the Creator Expert 911, and the bigger one will get a shelf of its own (or maybe share space with the white Speed Champions 911, just to be absurd)."
If you go from one to the other, does that make you a transvespite? :~P
@560heliport:
Well, but they do that with pretty much every set that lands in their laps. With polybags, the only difference is they rarely release through LEGO Brand Retail, so we don’t really have a good indicator of their actual street date. Or they get released to a seasonal section, usually as Easter gift basket toys, or Christmas stocking stuffers (for a couple years they were even showing up for Halloween, like anyone was going to start handing out polybags or CMFs to every kid who rings the doorbell).
In this case, the first time I ever saw 30495 was January 24, 2022. I know this because it’s still sitting with the receipt. So, that’s the back end of the launch window. Small sets, like the blister packs, or the Woody/Bo Peep Brickheadz, have been getting delayed launches since the pandemic started, so I would guess it was slated for January 1st, but I can’t prove it.
And now I need both :///
I was hoping for some lego set of vespa, and I got two at the same time...
I’m wondering how it looks next to the mini - would be nice if they were similarly scaled
Well that's ridiculous.... the Mini Vespa has overflowed the 30 limit on my 'March Releases' lego.com wishlist!
@MVives said:
" @quixotequest said:
"I swear I got the London Bus and its mini GWP at the same time."
They have had simultaneous mini GWP several times, but not a set -for separate sale- AFAIK. Glad to see that this is not GWP!"
I suspect it also differs from country to country: South Africa's Certified LEGO Store ("greatyellowbrick.co.za") still has 40220 London Bus for sale for R219 (around USD14.50)
@raven_za:
If you read the notes on 40220, you’ll see that it had a very messy release. I know I got one as a GWP, but I have two copies, and I think I actually bought the other one at the local LEO Store where they were stocked to the same island as keychains for at least a year.
I certainly wont buy the big one, but theres a decent chance ill buy the little one