A LEGO Technic Supercar On The Cheap!?!
Yes. Totally doable. Meet the McLaren Senna GTR. Another LEGO review.
With the launch of the new LEGO Ferrari Daytona SP3, many parents, some AFOLs themselves will face the ultimate problem — wanting to get a supercar while keeping their kidneys, and their kids’ college fund intact. Laugh all you like, if you were ever a LEGO fan or had a kid who is, and happens to be a huge Technic fan too, this — while a first-world concern — is a really tough one. Bleeding hearts and long sighs are just some of the symptoms. The good news is, though, there is a solution.
Every time I want a really huge set, I find that getting a smaller alternative satisfies my craving, at least for a while.
Meet the McLaren Senna GTR
Instead of spending 400 bucks, what if I told you could get away with just spending 50? No, it’s not the same supercar, nor is it as big or as complex, but it is a supercar nonetheless and perhaps even greater fun playing with afterwards. That is what the McLaren Senna GTR set #42123 is — great fun, at an excellent price. I even managed to score it at 35 euros, which is incredibly good value for an 830 pieces set.
For such an affordable set, it’s surprisingly capable. It comes with steering that can be manipulated from the top, making it perfect for play. It also features the iconic dihedral doors and a V8 engine with actual moving pistons connected to the drive-train.
And on that note, those pistons are quite a feat, as they’re cleverly done with pins instead of the old traditional pieces. One other set I’ve seen a similar setup in was the motorcycle set #42123. That’s another great, dirt-cheap set, by the way.
The one negative observation I would make is the high number of stickers this set relies on. And while that alone wouldn’t be the biggest issue, the fact that the front fender pieces are printed with the silver pattern means if you don’t use the stickers, you’ll end up with a bit of an odd-looking supercar, like mine.
In terms of building effort, I’d say it’s somewhere on the low-to-medium end. While this isn’t a massive set, some of the building techniques will make you look twice at the instructions even as an adult. The set is rated at 10+, and I would very much agree with that rating. Any kid, younger, will likely struggle. Having said that, if you want to turn it into a bonding session with your kid, it could work out well, even if they’re just 7 or 8 years old, but you’ll be doing most of the building.
Better than the $400 Ferrari…
And I do stand by that claim for one major reason. As I alluded to previously, this is a set with much better playability than the large supercars. I have both the Porsche and the Lamborghini, and the Ferrari is on its way as well, but all those sets have one thing in common: at the end of the day, they’re display sets.
The McLaren Senna GTR is a supercar that you can drive, race, crash and rebuild a million times. It’s meant to be played with.
Your kid’s imagination will make it fall into an imaginary ditch, drive into a wall and other cars, explode to 830 pieces, and it will all be fine because it’s all part of the play, and putting it all back together isn’t rocket-science. And at the end of the day, if you do decide to park it and display it, it will sure as hell look great anywhere you place it!
Hi there! 👋
Recently, I started a new publication — Bricks n’ Brackets — dedicated to LEGO, tech and coding. It would mean a huge deal to me if you’d follow it, though only do so, if any of those topics pique your interest. You can also read more about why I started it and what my overall goal with it is. You can also join as a writer if you’d like, as long as you submit articles around those three topics. The publication also has a YouTube, Instagram and TikTok channel. Thank you, and may the gods of creativity and success guide your day!
Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer!
