Review: LEGO Speed ​​Champions 76906 1970 Ferrari 512 M

Today we take a quick tour of the contents of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions set 76906 1970 Ferrari 512M, a box of 291 pieces sold at the retail price of €19.99 since March 1st.

With the Countach of the set 76908 Lamborghini Countach, this reference is one of my two favorites of the 2022 wave: the two vehicles seem to me to make the most of the LEGO inventory and the relatively limited possibilities of the current format of the vehicles in the range.

We assemble here the vehicle bearing the number 4 which won in 1970 the 9 hours of Kyalami in South Africa with at the wheel the Belgian Jacky Ickx and the Italian Ignazio Giunti. LEGO is doing quite well with a fairly faithful reproduction of the reference vehicle and the designer, well helped by the use of the canopy usually used on many ships in the Star Wars universe, did not have to struggle too much with curves of this Ferrari. It can be concluded that the subject is well covered, the result is convincing and the thing will stand out on a shelf.

If the choice of this canopy seemed obvious to the designer of the product, the fact remains that its use causes a major problem: The Ferrari 512 M is a two-seater car and there is only enough to slide here. a minifig in the center of the vehicle. The canopy is also too round and tapered to stick perfectly to that of the real Ferrari 512 M, but it is only by comparing the LEGO version with the real vehicle that this defect really manifests itself and we can easily be satisfied with this Overall very decent interpretation.

The products of the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range are above all toys for children and the possibility of installing a minifig at the wheel of the different vehicles is essential. Suggesting the presence of two seats in the cockpit would no doubt have been possible by reducing the space available for each seat, but it would then no longer have been possible to put a minifig at the controls.

The assembly is as usual quickly dispatched and it is obviously necessary to apply a large handful of stickers to dress this Ferrari 512 M and recreate some aesthetic details. The canopy and both Tiles used on the side of the front headlights are stamped, as is the Ferrari logo present on the 1x1 pieces placed on the sides of the vehicle. The canopy and the sides of the headlights are of Dark Red mismatched, it's a bit of a shame knowing that the stickers are perfectly matched. LEGO provides half a dozen of these 1x1 pieces flanked by the Ferrari logo, but four of them are installed in unexposed areas.

Too bad for the headlights which are summarized here in their simplest form, the transparency effect falls a little in the water. Two optical units in the form of stickers to be placed under non-tinted transparent parts would have been welcome. As often, lovers of original and sometimes surprising techniques will be served, I won't say more and I advise you to skim the photos above only quickly if you don't want to spoil the pleasure.

The overall look of this Ferrari 512 M benefits from the very limited number of studs visible on the surface: there are only six left and that's enough to mark the LEGO spirit without disfiguring the model. The rest of the body is perfectly smooth, it's successful. LEGO rims in Pearl Gold also available since this year in two sets from the LEGO CITY range are a vague illusion: they are the right color but the real Ferrari 512 M was fitted with five-spoke rims. No central mirror on the roof, it will be necessary to do without, and the two white fins at the rear are integrated a little roughly into the bodywork via a few transparent parts.

I said it above, I'm still really a fan of this model which pays a nice tribute to the reference vehicle despite the few flaws and aesthetic shortcuts that stand out if you take the time to compare the model with photos of the real one version. I gladly forgive these discrepancies because the result has cachet and personality, which is not always the case with products from the Speed ​​Champions range with supercars that all end up looking more or less alike. Even if the twenty euros requested by LEGO seems a bit exaggerated to me, I make the effort without waiting for a price drop elsewhere, it's not every day that the LEGO Speed ​​Champions range really manages to seduce me.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at April 14th next at 23:59 p.m. Just post a comment under the article to participate.

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