Being on Lockdown and not being able to get out and go play in the Landrover or you 4×4 can be a nightmare. By now you might have already done all the jobs on your Land Rover or ran out of parts to install and starting to go stir crazy! Well here is the perfect solution for all Lego and Land Rover lovers. The Lego Landrover Defender!
This super detailed kit with it 2573 pieces will keep you entertained for hours. I recently build my own and it took me around 16 hours in total building time.
What does the Defender kit feature?
Even before you get building, the box itself showcases some of the 4×4’s clever details. There are 2573 pieces and the model number – ‘42110’ – is also quite clever: ‘42’ is in reference to its length in centimetres (it’s also 22cm tall and 20cm wide) and ‘110’ is naturally a nod to the five-door size real-life Defender. Open the box and it’s your standard Lego Technic kit; no history book on the Defender and the Land Rover Series I-III, for example, unlike the bright orange 911 GT3 RS kit you can also get.
The car itself has plenty of clever details. The doors, bonnet and tailgate all open, and there are five seats inside, and there’s an Adventure Pack-style roof rack with ladders, traction mats and a storage box and a working winch.
Lego says that the four-speed sequential gearbox with high and low-range is ‘the most sophisticated gearbox to date’ on a Technic model, as it drives all four-wheels via three differentials. Each wheel is independently suspended, and you can steer your Lego Defender from outside the car via a cog attached to the roof. Even the engine has some grounds in reality; it’s an inline six just like the Ingenium P400 model Defender with working pistons. The wheels are unique to the Defender kit.
And what was it like to build?
Quite challenging, if I’m honest. The 11+ age rating on the box felt a little embarrassing.
As always, Lego’s instruction manuals are a work of genius and illustrated in excellent detail, with the Defender’s book feeling mighty thick in your hands as you flick through the pages but the build is broken down inter four sections with corresponding brick bags, and each section is broken down into several mini builds. One mini part took me nears 2 hours to piece, meaning it’s a build that’ll take several lumps of time to complete.
In Total the build took me 16 hours over a couple of days. You can follow the build above or on our facebook page.
And when you’ve finished…
The details that Lego thought of became so tremendously impressive as I progressed through the build. When you’re piecing together a small part of the chassis or body, sometimes you weren’t aware of what it was until the final few steps. It still continues to amaze how small Lego has to think to ensure that everything fits together and works together (when the builders actually read the instructions properly, that is).
And yet focusing on tiny details has to be balanced with seeing the bigger picture; Lego has absolutely nailed some of the new Defender’s styling cues. The headlights and rear lights, grey skid plate on the front bumper, bulky wheelarches, even an infotainment screen inside are all integrated into the build.
But it doesn’t have to stop there….
How much is the Lego Defender?
It’s listed as £159.99 on Lego’s own store and there seems to be demand as, at the time of writing, the kit is on back order on Legos Website here but is avaiable through Amazon here. In terms of Technic cars, the kit is more expensive than the 911 RSR but half the price of the Bugatti Chiron so falls in nicely in the middle. But the amount of detail and the number of pieces and the hours it takes to build, it is worth every penny.
Lego Defender: hands-on verdict
Getting to the finish line was so satisfying, not least because the build was such a challenge but what you get at the end isn’t just something to put on a shelf but wieldy enough and filled with so many useful details to play with. If you’re, ahem… a kid.
But the fun doesn’t have to stop there! Once the kit is complete there is a wide range of extra that can be purchased, including LED lighting kits, display boxes and even motorization to turn it into a RC vehicle.
There are a few Lego models out there that look and feel questionable as to the car they’re based on, but the brand has absolutely nailed the Defender.
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