Twelve Hours With The Lamborghini Sian
A fun review of the Lego Technic 42115 supercar set.
I kept this article in draft for a while, as I wanted my 199th one to be somewhat special. My 200th will be extra special, and no, it’s not going to be about LEGO, but this one, my 199th you bet it’s going to be a LEGO set review, and it will be a big one — the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sian, the 2020 supercar that I had my eyes on for nearly two years.
The one thing you can always bet on with the Technic supercars is that if you wait just the right amount of time, you can get them at around 70–75% of their original price. When we’re talking about a 400 bucks set, this becomes a rather important money-saving strategy. Don’t get me wrong, I am well-aware that LEGO in general is an excellent investment, but if I can save, I definitely will. And that’s precisely what happened with the Lamborghini Sian. Managed to get my hands on it before it went out of stock, at just 290 bucks. That’s 110 buck off! Not bad, ay?
If you’re planning to pick this set up at your local store, make sure you bring a big IKEA bag with you, unless you’re by car. This is a big and heavy box. Shoving it just under your arm won’t be an option. But, speaking of boxes and unboxing experiences, in true licensed supercar fashion, this doesn’t disappoint either.
The set comes with not one but two instruction manuals, and I built it over 6 stages, none of which are simpler than the other. The sheer size of the car becomes very quickly apparent as soon as you build the gearbox, around which the rest of the car gets built. As my colleague Ciaran said, “this set is not for the faint of heart”; however, that is not so much because it’s a complex build. In fact, while a massive set, I actually think in terms of complexity it’s somewhere above medium, but not as high as it seems just looking at the instructions, most of which are very granular, some going just piece by piece. I never really felt during any of the stages that I got lost.
But there is some truth in Ciaran’s observation. This set does require a lot of patience. Also, being such a big Technic set, your fingers do feel a bit sore after a few hours, so what I did is actually break up the build over four evenings. In total, it took me 12 hours to build, but do keep in mind that I took photos after each stage and that takes a bit of time too.
In terms of functionality — after all, this is a Technic set — I, for one, think it has everything it needs, except for an opening engine hood. Everything else is there. Individual suspension on all wheels, steering albeit a bit difficult to reach the steering wheel, the bonnet opens, a working V12 engine with working gearbox and opening doors via two button mechanisms which are really cool.
I think what many reviewers out there also forget to mention is the sheer value of LEGO Technic building-techniques and learning someone will pick up during the build. Add to that thousands of pieces you get, and I think you got yourself the start of a very respectable LEGO collection that can be used to build a ton of other things. The wheels alone ensure basically anything that has anywhere between 1 and 4 wheels, and they’re nice wheels too. You can also take the Lamborghini logo off, and they’re just generic(ish) wheels. The bottom line is, there is massive potential for more than just the official set in this heavy box.
However, if you do decide not to take it apart, it will look gorgeous anywhere you put it. Just keep in mind you’ll need about 60x30 cm of space. It’s a good few studs longer than the Porsche was. I will be writing a comparison article about these two soon, so subscribe.
While spending $400 on a Lego set that’s more for show than play, does sound extreme, the end result is hard to argue against. It’s a stunning car, and it’s definitely a Lamborghini Sian!
If you’re in any way a car enthusiast, especially high-end cars, the Lamborghini Sian is probably the first out of the Technic supercar series that will truly feel the way it’s supposed to. While the Bugatti and the Porsche — the latter of which I also own — were great, neither of them nailed the design part as well as the Lambo.
Everything else is more or less your usual Technic stuff. Pistons, gearbox, opening doors, steering, suspension, the works, but that all can be found in 120 bucks sets as well. Where the 42115 set truly shines is the chassis and overall look that doesn’t get compromised by functionality. In fact, you get both, and I know some modders have already found ways to make it remote controllable and add lights, so the playability aspect for those who truly want it, can be there.
Build stages
There are easily discernible differences between each of the stages that I photographed, so have a look. You’ll get an idea how I got from a fairly standard Technic gearbox to a fully-fledged Lamborghini Sian.
Set stats
- 3696 total pieces
- set size: very large
- age-rating: 18+
- average build-time: about 10h
- display set: yes
- new/interesting parts: yes
- playability: limited
- design: outstanding
- height: 14 cm
- length: 58 cm
- width: 27 cm
- average price: 350 Euro/USD
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!
