Today we return to the March 2024 wave of LEGO® Speed Champions sets with a look at 76921 Audi S1 e-tron quattro Race Car.
In its tracks are a multitude of prints and a modest selection of new elements. We'll take a closer look at them first, before catching up with the finished car.
Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
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76921 Audi S1 e-tron quattro Race Car
US$26.99/ £20.99/ 26.99€/ AU$39.99
274 parts
Released 1 March 2024
New elements
There are 5 new-for-2024 moulds included in the set:
- 1 x Bracket 1 x 6 - 2 x 6 Inverted in Bright Red/ Red (6477769 | 5090) - Exclusive
- 1 x Pair of Slope Curved 2 x 2 with Stud Notch in Bright Red/ Red - Left (6507845 | 5095) & Right (6477758 | 5093) - Exclusive
The new 1 x 2 tile with 45° Stud Notch Left (5091) & Right (5092) comes here in three colours:
- 1 x Pair in Bright Red/ Red - Left (6510127) & Right (6510141) - Found in 1 other set
- 1 x Pair in Black - Left (6510125) and Right (6510139) - Found in 5 other sets
- 1 x Pair in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray - Left (6510131) & Right (6510145) - Found in 3 other sets
Recolours next, starting with a small selection that are exclusive or new for 2024:
- 1 x Slope Curved 2 x 2 with Lip, No Studs in Trans-Black (6507874 | 28659) - Exclusive
- 4 x Wheel Rim 24 x 12 with Black Tyre in Bright Red/ Red (6477787 | 72206) - Exclusive
- 1 x Sports Snowboard Small in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6481988 | 18746) - Exclusive
- 2 x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud in Aqua/ Light Aqua (6469825 | 3386) - Found in two other 2024 sets
One other element worth mentioning is 4 x Wheel Arch, Mudguard 4 x 2 x 2 in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6424675 |
3387). Introduced last year, they can be found in just 3 other sets.
Printed elements
The set comes with 14 unique prints. Which, including duplicates and spares, makes a whopping 27 printed elements in total.
A pair of new elements are hiding in the mix too: 1 x Slope Curved 2 x 2 with Stud Notch with Black Stripes & Headlight in Light Bluish Grey - Left (6508832 | 106735) & Right (6472249 | 106734). Hopefully it won't be long before we see them unprinted in this colour.
Since there are so many, let's group the rest of the prints by moulded part colour for a more digestible list:
Red
- 4 x Plate 1 x 1 with Black Stripes / Grill (6472242 | 106727)
- 1 x Plate 1 x 6 with Black Stripes (6472244 | 106729)
- 2 x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Silver Rectangles, Black Stripes (6472241 | 106726)
- 2 x Slope Curved 2 x 1 with Stud Notch with Dark Bluish Grey Surface - Left (6472240 | 106725) & Right (6472239 | 106724)
Black
- 4 x Tile Round 2 x 2 with Silver Stripes, Audi Logo (6472246 | 106731)
- 1 x Slope Curved 4 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with Light Bluish Grey Decorations, Audi Logo (6472248 | 106733)
Dark Bluish Gray
- 2 x Plate 1 x 2 with Black Rectangle, Red Squares (6472243 | 106728)
- 1 x Plate 1 x 6 with Silver Stripes (6472245 | 106730)
- 2 x Slope 30° 1 x 1 x 2/3 with Black/Red Stripe(6486103 | 108568)
- 1 x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Black/Red Stripe, Audi Logo (6472251 | 106736)
Trans-Black
- 1 x Windscreen 6 x 6 x 1 1/3 with Dark Bluish Grey Cockpit, White Squares (6472238 | 106723)
Phew, that was a lot of prints. Surely this means the sticker sheet will be smaller compared to other LEGO Speed Champions sets?
Sticker sheet
…That's a no. Despite the exceptionally generous number of printed elements, there are still an eye-watering 31 stickers!
Minifigure
A unique torso (6480720 | 76382) and leg (6472253 | 106738) print comprise the driver's Light Bluish Gray overalls. It's not the jazziest looking outfit, but that cheerful grin softens the serious race-mode aura nicely. The branding-free legs might come in handy for fig-barfs if you're of a mind.
The build
The build is far from rudimentary, but it didn't make me gasp in awe like some of the other entries in the theme. I did however, smile and nod in appreciation quite a few times - so there are definitely some gems to enjoy.
One such gem are these 2x2 curved bricks with two studs (
30165) used for a half-stud offset. I'm not sure my mind would immediately jump (pun not intended!) to such an elegant solution.
Also spot the 1x2 plate with Technic hole (
11458), cleverly employed as a studless support for the subassembly above.
At the rear of the vehicle, a pair of neck brackets support the recoloured snowboard before the entire tail section snaps into place.
It's encouraging to see the big new bracket used at the base of the tail. Upon learning of its existence, I doubted the part would serve any purpose beyond a car's side SNOT assembly. I'm very pleased to have been proven wrong so swiftly.
Note the two 1x1 red plates with black lines print that end up hidden above the rear wheels. They're another instance of the designers treating us to extra prints we can swap out to use in MOCs with ease. Fans may remember a similar situation on
76906 1970 Ferrari 512 M in 2022 where multiple 1x1 plates with Ferrari print showed up throughout the build.
On the theme of hidden printed elements, the 1x2 plates with back and red print are cleverly half-embedded on each side of the nose. They ensure the red trim continues all the way up to the headlights.
Less convincing are the two 1x2 curved wedges in red with dark bluish grey print. These, unfortunately, have a sliver of red still visible around the edges. However, the print provides more coverage than a sticker would, and the grey colour is a close match to the sounding brick so I happily accept the approach taken.
Zooming out, we have ourselves a completed vehicle. All the gorgeous prints mean that you end up with a very respectable-looking race car, even if – like me – you choose not to apply the stickers.
My interest in cars begins and ends with the LEGO Speed Champions theme so my ability to knowledgeably judge the model's accuracy is limited. But, after a cursory look at some photos of the real-life counterpart, I believe the major shapes and details have been captured or approximated valiantly.
As we spin around to the rear, the same feeling holds true with a tasty concentration of printed plates and SNOT construction. Note the half-plate edge of the aforementioned big bracket, visible towards the bottom.
Finally, a quick peek inside. The interior is on par for the theme, but not a stand-out techniques-wise. And, as if to further dissolve my reservations regarding the new bracket, this cockpit doesn't even use them!
Closing Thoughts
It's a shame the well crafted exterior didn't call for as many of the mind-blowing techniques that LEGO Speed Champions sets are famous for. Thankfully the set delivers in other areas – most notably prints, a decent amount of which are generic enough to use elsewhere. The 31 stickers would be quite a chore to apply. However, 27 prints to 31 stickers isn't a bad ratio, and the end result without the stickers still looks great to me.
The price increase of these sets does hurt. It puts the cost-per-vehicle firmly in the 'expensive' zone whereas before I might've classed them as 'a stretch but worth it'. Pricing seems a sour note to end on though...
Instead I'll leave you with something more positive, even if its been along time coming.
Since the start of 2024, fans have noted a marked increase in the number of sets containing paper bags – either exclusively or in combination with plastic ones for smaller parts. The Audi happens to be the first set I've received with them in force, and I feel it's a trend worth celebrating.
READ MORE: Check out our other LEGO Speed Champions reviews
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Great review! Strange that my copy came in plastic bags though—no paper to be seen.
ReplyDeleteThis is the most underwhelming of the 16 speed champions sets I have made to date. I have little interest in authenticity vs the actual car, and I found the build not as rewarding as expected. I expect to pass on the other 2024s as well - might get the Bugatti. But there are all those Space sets, so Lego will still be getting my money.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about two bits of construction at the rear. 1) The upside down snowboard's studs in the neck brackets' holes seems weak, and I'm not sure if the studs are even fully inserted, considering the black 1x2 ingot tile that ends up under them. Good thing those 2x2 clear round boat studs are present on the underside of the main wing to help hold the snowboard in place!
ReplyDelete2) In your pic of the rear of the car with the wing+rear not attached, there's that other subassembly on the table, which fits on top of the rear fender part. Its a SNOT construction of 1x1 brick with technic pin hole + a red half pin + gray 1x1 brick + red 1x1 plate + gray 1x1 tile.
ReplyDeleteAnyhows, once that is put in place, is it an "illegal" technique, because the sudeways brick+plate+tile foul on the "LEGO" letters of the fender part's studs?
When I built this area I had a close look at it and it didn't seem to sit perfectly flat. Perhaps the tolerance of the half-pin fit up means it's OK (vs. using a 1x1 brick with one side knob instead)?
The Technic hole on a Technic brick is slightly higher than a stud would be. I don't know if it's the same as the height of the LEGO logo, but it does add a little more clearance. I never would have thought of this for making things legal!
Delete