I must admit this is not a set that I would buy. I have more than enough Lego cars, this one is a horrible colour, and is designed, well for children, which shouldn't be a surprise as, well not all people who build Lego are old farts like me.
But last year I happened to be an a media industry event which had a stand from Nine Entertainment, which is a TV station down here in Australia, where they had various giveaways from a number of their shows. One of their shows is the always entertaining Lego Masters.
So up I wander, spin a wheel in an effort to try to win a Lego set, but alas I win something pointless like a candles from the renovating show The Block, but being the canny guy I am I start up a conversation with the promo staff running the booth and tell her that I really wanted the Lego, I think she assumes I have a child or something and with a wink takes the candle back from me and hands me this bright green Lego box.
What is it - The Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, I know it's a Shelby because it has the cool stripes, and although you could get the actual car in this colour, I'm not convinced I would have.
Anyway, free loot secured I went home a happy man - Thank You Channel 9. I think promptly put this is a cupboard and completely forgot about it. But I was sick last week, a little bored and thought, I'm going to build that Lego set.
So let's get upway - First up the box is awful, it one of the, thankfully short lived designs where you can't open it without ripping the cardboard, not good if you every want to resell. You are think confronted with two bags of pieces - all 544 of them (plus some spares) and a very big sticket sheet which I immediately decide not to use - this is because I'm already eyeing up an alternative design and the stickers just complicate them.
What I had forgotten or maybe never knew was that this set moves, it has one of the Lego pull back motors, which I know are targeted at children for playability but I have to admit was very cool. here's what they look like, it's early in the process
and this set is so cool it has two of them, I guess that's the GTness of the set.
Build away I do, and I have to admit I must have been sicker than I thought I was because I manage to put together the back axle all wrong, and then I think I'm missing a piece, but I know I can't be because Lego never leave out pieces so I have to trace my step back and find the mistake.
but eventually it starts looking like a car
Being Technic rather than system bricks it's a little clunky and it's meant to be more about the mechanics of it, but it's a little hit and miss, the fact that the 'engine' is just some slopped pieces on a 3X2 flat is a little disappointing, The mechanism for the pull back is kinda cool though, part of it is the red bricks you can see above, but there is also a locking mechanism for when you pull it back which is nice.
The panels go on and we have an almost finished car, big black square is the engine.
This flip on some roof panels and it's done, as I said I avoided the stickers, with them it would have looked a little more detailed, but I have to say it's actually a pretty good looking car.
As you can see from the below, I could have 'stuck on' a back window and of course continued the racing strips over the roof.
and the final question you likely have is - does the pull back work - and yeah it does, in fact it's pretty quick and will go about 10 metres without stopping
