I tested for you: LEGO Technic 42083 Bugatti Chiron

Make room in your garage, the Bugatti Chiron joins the Porsche 911 GT3 RS from set 42056!
The recipe is the same for this new set LEGO Technic 42083 Bugatti Chiron (3599 pieces - 379.99 €) which aims to be a global experience in the same spirit, starting with its luxurious packaging.

Since the announcement of the set, you have had plenty of time to form your opinion. So I'm not going to overdo it, so I'll just give you a few impressions as usual. If you have planned to buy the set, you will find out more in detail and for yourself what it has in store for you in terms of assembly.

As for the Porsche RS 911 GT3, this set seems at first glance to appeal to a much larger audience than regulars of the LEGO Technic range.
But if the Porsche had for it to be a "achievable" dream vehicle (from 155.000 euros in your favorite garage), the Bugatti Chiron, which borrows its name from the driver Louis Chiron, is reserved for a privileged few who have the skills. means (and the desire) to afford this exceptional car by paying 2.4 million euros.

It is therefore logically more difficult to find in the LEGO version a collector's item related to one's own passion. Fans of Porsche cars who own or dream of being able to afford a model of the brand one day are mechanically more numerous than those who own a Bugatti Veyron or Chiron ...

LEGO had announced it, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS was the first model in a series of exceptional vehicles based on the same concept. the 42056 set is therefore joined this year by a Bugatti Chiron with LEGO sauce, developed in partnership with the car manufacturer.

And this partnership seems to be a little more successful than a simple exchange of licenses and logos, judging by the presence in Billund on June 1 of the CEO of Bugatti (Stephan Winkelmann), of the chief designer of the brand (Achim Anscheidt ) and a real Bugatti Chiron specially sent for the official presentation of the set. We were told about the fruitful partnership between the two brands, the many exchanges between the designers, the long months of reflection to arrive at the final product, etc ... I almost wanted to say: All that for that.

The packaging and the retail price of the thing indicate the color, this is not a lambda set that LEGO sells us, this is a very high-end product ... The pretty box with its sub- Luxurious packaging and its four wheels neatly stored in their respective locations does indeed have its small effect, but when a LEGO fan invests his money in a set, it is above all for the contents of the box, as original as it is.

We can discuss the aesthetics of the LEGO version of the vehicle for a long time. The Bugatti Chiron is a supercar with organic lines and a question inevitably arises: Should we embark on such a project and how in this case to reproduce a curvaceous vehicle with flat, rectangular and angular parts?

The French designer in charge of the project, Aurélien Rouffiange, was present at the press conference organized for the presentation of his "baby". He readily admits that the challenge was considerable and that he tried here not to alter the aesthetics of the vehicle while making the best use of all the available parts. He adds that he has also endeavored to offer an interpretation that respects both the reference vehicle and the spirit of the LEGO Technic range.

On this point, difficult to contradict, we find here a general aesthetic "in the spirit" of the Porsche of set 42056 with the same defects. Not being a big fan of the LEGO Technic range, however, I find it difficult to be satisfied with this "interpretation" in the LEGO version of the Bugatti Chiron.

There isn't much left of the fluid lines of the Chiron and we end up with a really sketchy front cover. Should we produce new meta-pieces for the occasion? I think so. A prestige set sold at 380 € was well worth the effort. Wanting to always go further in realism with the existing inventory has its limits and LEGO molds new parts in other ranges for less than that ...

The assembly phase of the chassis, the engine and the various functions is a real pleasure, even for a novice who is not necessarily used to this range. My feeling of disappointment comes mainly from the final rendering and the comparison with the vehicle that served as a reference.

The LEGO model is an illusion from certain very specific angles and in particular in profile, but not at the level of the front which is only a distant adaptation of that of the real Bugatti Chiron and which here takes on the air of an American supercar.

So playing the 7 errors game will not help here. The LEGO version hardly compares with the original model on the aesthetic level, especially at the level of the front hood whose fluid curves pass by the hatch or are embodied by simple pipes and flexible axes. Your imagination will do the rest ...

The gray flexible pipes used to form the characteristic metallic curve that dresses the sides of the vehicle also look more like a lazy shortcut than a true find from an inspired designer and I believe many of us will find that it is the rear. of the vehicle that is ultimately the most successful.

I'm not going to repeat the usual spiel on the subject, but let's not forget the essential stickers present in this box, some of them are badly printed on my copy. They must therefore be glued by offsetting them to obtain a correct result.

More laughable, the interior trim of the doors and the front shelf are here embodied by horrible vaguely stylized stickers. Finding extenuating circumstances in LEGO on this point is no longer the order of the day and the manufacturer ruins all his efforts by throwing these stickers at the bottom of the box.

Everyone will judge the final result, but it is LEGO which has embarked on this adventure and which today submits to the appreciation of its customers a product seeking to appeal to a much larger audience than crane enthusiasts and others. backhoe loaders with gears.

What if this LEGO version Bugatti Chiron had much more to offer than a somewhat lost attempt at reproducing a vehicle with such a distinctive design?

Judging by the reactions of specialists in the LEGO Technic universe, the designer has clearly outdone himself in the design of the W16 engine which is on the real Chiron consisting of two VR8 blocks arranged at 90 degrees on the same crankshaft.
However, the latter becomes in a LEGO version a three-crankshaft engine with a V8 and two L4 engines (4 cylinders in line) placed below ... It will be noted that the scale of the model and the inventory of available parts probably did not allow not to reproduce the original engine. Too bad for the fidelity to the original model, however praised all day long by the various speakers during the press conference.

Car enthusiasts will also have noted that LEGO has offered the luxury of adding an additional speed to the 8-speed gearbox of the LEGO model, the real Bugatti Chiron having only 7 gears ...

In short, these few freedoms aside, the technical sub-assemblies will give you value for your money. You will obviously have to be satisfied with the construction phase to appreciate these different elements using a few new parts, they will not be really visible when the model is fully assembled.

You can then have a little fun by opening the doors, turning the steering wheel, shifting forward or reverse and changing gears using the paddles placed on either side of the steering wheel, if you can reach them.

The whole vehicle is almost flawless in its solidity. Only doors fixed to a single hinge are much less rigid, especially when they are open. Too bad for a model at this price. On my copy, however, I did not notice the problem with the return of suspension mentioned by other owners of the set.

As a bonus, LEGO includes in the box what to assemble the Speed ​​Key provided by Bugatti to its customers. In real life, this key activates the mode Top Speed to exceed 380 km / h.

At LEGO it is used to deploy the rear spoiler (which can also simply be raised by hand) by sliding it between the fender and the wheel. It's cute, but it doesn't make my day unlike all those who rave about this detail as if to hide the big aesthetic flaw of the set.

I even made a short video for you to show you the thing in action, just to divert your attention:

When I said above that this type of set is not only for fans of the LEGO Technic range, I already knew that this is only partly true. This Bugatti Chiron is not really the ultimate model with impeccable aesthetics that could appeal to fans of LEGO models to display ready to spend 380 € and it is not the few digital bonuses to download thanks to the unique code provided in the set that will make me change my mind ...

Fans of the LEGO Technic range will likely find something to their liking with intricate sub-assemblies, a few new elements and an assembly process that pays homage to the techniques used by Bugatti in its factories.

However, they may be disappointed by the fact that all the mechanics at work are not accessible or visible. As usual, there will always be those who like to know it's there, even if it can't be seen.

Those I met during the official presentation of the set seemed convinced by the technical part of the model. On the other hand, there was also a consensus regarding the hazardous aesthetics of the thing on certain details which nevertheless make the real Chiron an exceptional vehicle.

Those who have invested in the 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 Rs set and who have vowed to continue collecting vehicles marketed in the same format and on the same 1: 8 scale will no doubt make the effort to acquire this new set.

As always, you will always find someone to show indulgence towards LEGO and explain to you that this set is a real success, that it is in the spirit, that we could hardly do better, that the rims are pretty, that the box is nice, etc ...

As far as I'm concerned, I remain in my position: The vehicle provided in this box only looks very much like a scale model of the real Bugatti Chiron and yet that's what LEGO wants to sell us. Even though the mechanical sub-elements provide a very pleasant assembly experience, the overall aesthetic of the model is not convincing enough to deserve my 380 €.

Like the Porsche from set 42056, this Bugatti Chiron a little too expensive for what it has to offer will sooner or later end up at rock bottom at amazon and a few others. If you hesitate to buy yourself this box, wait at least next August 1, then it will certainly be available around € 300.

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before June 24 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.