Review: LEGO ICONS 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO ICONS set 10330 McLaren MP4/4 & Ayrton Senna, a box of 693 pieces which will be available from March 1, 2024 at the public price of €79.99. Those who were in front of their television on Sunday afternoon in the 80s already know who Ayrton Senna is, others will quickly launch a search to discover this extraordinary pilot with a tragic destiny who excited an entire generation of fans of Formula 1.

LEGO therefore pays here a tribute to the driver by associating him with a single-seater long considered the fastest on the circuit, the McLaren MP4/4, and which allowed him to become world champion in 1988.

We may be surprised by the reduced inventory of this box, knowing that it allows the single-seater to be assembled but also a podium to display the minifig provided as well as a support to present the vehicle from a rather flattering angle favoring exploring integrated mechanical details.

The main construction of the product, however, remains very detailed and on an acceptable scale to benefit from the various aesthetic refinements offered by LEGO which make this vehicle measuring 3 cm long by 17 cm wide a real exhibition model and not a simple product in the Speed ​​Champions spirit vaguely oversized for the occasion.

LEGO has also made the effort to feature here some new elements used wisely with four wheels injected in two materials whose rims and tires cannot be separated, as well as new suspension triangles. Everything is really at the service of the construction by making it possible to keep the vehicle very close to the ground like the real single-seater and contributes to giving it character by refining the model aspect and these four new wheels are finally perfectly adapted to the subject treated even if they are all the same size and that the rear wheels would have benefited from a greater diameter and thickness.

There are also several pad-printed elements in the box, but you will also have to put up with a large sheet of stickers. Unfortunately, the pad printing of the white color on a red background of some body parts is a failure with a "too white" white which turns pink as well as several stickers whose white background is far from matching the color of the parts on which they take their seats.

Everything you don't see on the sheet of stickers that I scanned for you is therefore pad printed, such as the Tag Heuer logo on the cockpit canopy. The Marlboro logo is logically left out and LEGO has not even kept the pointed design of the white and red pattern. This is understandable, but loyalty to the reference vehicle takes a hit.

I will not detail the entire assembly process, the photos speak for themselves without revealing too much, those who checkout should in my opinion retain the privilege of discovering the different techniques used here.

The public price of the product seems reasonable enough to me to put it within everyone's reach, we are not talking here about a box inaccessible for fans on a limited budget even if it still offers nearly two hours of pleasure assembly taking your time.

Just remember that the vehicle is well equipped with suspensions but that they only rely on the very limited flexibility of the new wishbones used, that the steering is functional via the steering wheel in the cockpit and that the Honda V6 engine remains accessible by removing the bodywork element placed just behind the driver's head.

These different features undoubtedly remain a little anecdotal on an exhibition model but they add a little spice to the assembly by making it a little more complex and above all more interesting for the target adult audience. The single-seater is obviously not on the scale of the minifig provided but the latter can still be installed at the controls to have a little fun.

LEGO is also content to provide us with one of the two drivers of the single-seater in question, obscuring Alain Prost to support the tribute to the Brazilian whose nationality is also highlighted several times during the assembly process via the association of pieces in the colors of the national flag of Brazil.

Adding the French driver would have been in good style and in my opinion would not have diverted this product from its vocation, many fans would have appreciated obtaining these two legendary drivers who drove this car on the same circuits. 0n will be satisfied with the pretty new minifig delivered with its hair and its helmet very faithful to the reference accessory which allows you to vary the scenes.

The pad printing of the figurine obviously suffers from the same defect as the red parts of the car flanked by a white pattern and the small podium almost seems a little sloppy but it serves as a support for the sticker which highlights a sentence spoken by the associated driver with a visual and a signature. Why not.

The single-seater display is flanked by a large gray sticker listing some technical data, it's in good style and gives character to the model. Too bad for the name of the McLaren brand stamped on the nose of the car with a space between the “Mc” and the “Laren”, LEGO could have paid attention to this type of detail.

The nose of the single-seater will also seem a little too flat to be completely faithful to the reference vehicle but the rest of the bodywork is rather well executed and in my opinion we quickly forget this point of detail. I find it more difficult to forgive the errors in terms of pad printing which spoil the appearance of this model at a low price but still presented as a high-end product. The official visuals are, as is often the case, very optimistic and we have the impression of being tricked when unboxing.

You have noticed in the photos, I present this product to you in a pretty custom-made display case which was kindly provided to me for the occasion by the musehome company, a structure based in Troyes and specialized in the production of tailor-made boxes for all types of valuable or collectible products.

This PMMA or acrylic glass display case is assembled and glued by hand in France, there are no visible screws or hooks. The case is therefore delivered already assembled and it disappears in favor of the object it highlights. This product therefore seemed perfectly suited to this combination with an exhibition set which requires this type of scenario.

Do not hesitate to contact them if you are looking for something to showcase your most precious sets, the creator of the brand is himself a big fan of LEGO and you will find an attentive ear to your requests.

In my opinion, this product definitely deserves your attention if you are a Formula 1 fan, even if it is a car from another era. It offers a good compromise between the scale chosen and the level of detail offered, even if I know that some will only see a supercharged Speed ​​Champions reference which does not necessarily merit spending €80 on it.

I will make the effort, Ayrton Senna is part of my childhood memories and I spent long hours dozing in front of races where I waited for the overtake that would wake me from my torpor and fuel schoolyard discussions next week. For that alone, this tribute to Ayrton Senna and his 1988 single-seater will make me happy.

We are not going to complain about being entitled from time to time to accessible products in the LEGO ICONS range, the adult target must also be able to have fun for a reasonable budget.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, as well as the showcase graciously provided by the company musehome are as usual put into play. Deadline set for 1er March 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.