Review: LEGO Speed ​​Champions 76902 McLaren Elva

Today we quickly tour the LEGO Speed ​​Champions set 76902 McLaren Elva, a 2021 novelty that will be available from June 1 at the public price of € 19.99. For the occasion, this small box of 263 pieces is here accompanied by the variation of the vehicle available in the polybag 30343 McLaren Elva, a bag of 86 pieces referenced on the official online store as "free item"but without precision for the moment on a possible promotional offer to come.

This is to assemble the 2020 version of the speedster and even if the manufacturer has since produced a variant of the vehicle in the colors of the lubricants manufacturer Gulf which would undoubtedly have been more attractive in the LEGO format, we will make with this blue livery a little sad.

In my opinion, the designer is doing quite well on this file knowing that the format of the vehicles in the Speed ​​Champions range involves some constraints and does not allow all the fantasies in terms of curves and other aerodynamic surfaces.

The windowless speedster is interpreted relatively well here and we find some of the most characteristic attributes of this supercar. The absence of glazing on the reference vehicle in fact avoids the presence of the usual generic LEGO canopy and that is rather a good thing.

The McLaren Elva is also this clearly visible white upholstery and LEGO has chosen to deal with the subject by pad printing a pattern on the two parts responsible for embodying the back of the seats. The intention is good, it helps to limit the number of stickers to stick, but the result is unfortunately far from being as flattering in real life as on the official visuals of the product and we end up with a slightly bland color that does not is not fully matched with the color of the headrests. The seats have no seat, the pilot is plugged into the visible tenons of the chassis.

There are some good ideas on this model which also uses the new slick tires directly molded on the rims, especially at the rear of the vehicle with two metallic spark plugs and two ax blades in Trans Red used to embody fires. It is nicely integrated, and it is also for this type of often ingenious and sometimes surprising solutions that we appreciate this range. There are two metallic headlights and the rest of the curves of the vehicle make heavy use of Wedges with 45 ° cutout, it was necessary to pay homage to the curvaceous reference vehicle by composing with the inventory available at LEGO.

The endowment in stickers is rather limited on the model of the set 76902, it concerns only a few bodywork details, the headlights being, as indicated above, based on parts. The 8-inch touch screen which serves as an interface for adjusting vehicle functions and as a multimedia center is reproduced on a Tile 1x1 pad printed supplied in two copies. The printed design is sketchy but sufficient and the item is presented on a minifig stand discovered with the DC Comics Character Series in Bags (71026).

The 86-piece polybag vehicle does not benefit from this level of refinement, it does not even have a steering wheel and is content with sticker-based headlights. The micro-version of the McLaren Elva in 5 studs in width is not unworthy, even if the wheel arches are simple square spaces embedded in the body.
The air path on the hood which ejects the flow sucked from the front of the vehicle to create the bubble which surrounds the driver and his passenger is present on both versions of the vehicle, it is more symbolic on the polybag model but it is still represented by a Tile black.

The driver provided in this box is as usual delivered with a head of hair in addition to the helmet, and the torso flanked by the McLaren logo is unique. For those who still wonder: the adjustable wrench supplied in all these boxes is not an indicator of the potential level of failure of these different vehicles, it is there to facilitate the removal of the hubcaps attached to the rims.

The McLaren Elva is a rather surprising vehicle due to the total absence of glazing and the LEGO version logically gives the impression of a slightly flat vehicle which is missing something. The eight-stud width accentuates this lack of relief a little more and this vehicle will probably not be unanimous among fans of brick-based supercars. For my part, I find it rather successful, with its original solutions and despite its aesthetic approximations. The polybag is necessarily more basic but it does not demerit.

Collectors who already have sets on their shelves 75909 McLaren P1 (2015) 75880 McLaren 720s (2017) et 75892 McLaren Senna (2019) will no doubt be delighted to see that the partnership between LEGO and the brand is expanded this year with a new model. For others, this McLaren Elva will undoubtedly not be a priority, there are other supercars more emblematic and better known to the general public than this model in the Speed ​​Champions range.

Note: The sets presented here, provided by LEGO, are as usual put into play. Deadline fixed at June 7, 2021 next at 23pm. 

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.