LEGO® Speed Champions review: 76919 McLaren Formula 1 Car

With more LEGO® Speed Champions sets having just been released on 1 June 2024, it's about time we take a look at the final entry in the March 2024 wave – 76919 McLaren Formula 1 Car – which comes in 'chrome' livery! 

Sadly, not that kind of chrome. Nevertheless, having most of the new moulds introduced by the March wave, a few recolours and some lovely – yet specialised – printed elements, the set has much to offer. Let's drive in.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.

76919 McLaren Formula 1 Car
US$26.99/ £20.99/ 26.99€/ AU$39.99
344 parts
Released 1 March 2024

Set 76919 on LEGO.com

The parts

Given the car's colour scheme, it's no surprise to find the new moulds are all in orange or black.

New in Bright Orange/ Orange are:

• 1 x 1 x 2 Tile with Stud Notch - Left (6510130 | 5091) and Right (6510144 | 5092) - exclusive
• 2 x Slope Curved 1 x 4 with Stud Notch - Left (6470164 | 5415) and Right (6470163 | 5414)  - exclusive 

New in Black are:

• 1 x Slope Curved 2 x 2 with Stud Notch - Left (6507846 | 5095) and Right (6477759 | 5093) -  in 1 other LEGO Speed Champions set
• 2 x Slope Curved 1 x 4 with Stud Notch - Left (6477767 | 5415) and Right (6477765 | 5414)  - in 1 other LEGO Speed Champions set
• 2x 1 x 2 Tile with 45° Stud Notch in - Left (6510125) and Right (6510139) - found in 5 other sets
• 2 x Slope 18° 2 x 1 x 2/3 (6513918 | 5404) - exclusive

The same is true of the recolours and rare parts.

Starting with the Orange:

• 1 x Tile Special 1 x 1 with Clip with Rounded Edges (6472962 | 44842) - exclusive
• 1 x Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 (6403225 | 36841) - 3 other sets
• 1 x Sports Ski 6L (6447647 | 28922) - 2 other sets
• 1 x Hose Rigid 3mm D. 7L / 5.6cm (6311175 | 60166) - 1 other set

Spoons in an F1 car set are a bit perplexing to find. For now though, the fact they're new and exclusive in Black (6475201 | 80179) is all that matters.

And finally, one last rare recolour that breaks away from the black and orange:

It seems Light Aqua is the go-to colour for 'Baby D-SNOTs' (6469825 | 3386) this wave. Six are included here, but they can also be found in 76921 Audi S1 e-tron quattro Race Car, and 31148 Retro Roller Skate that Eero recently took a look at.

Decorations

The set comes with a respectable 8 unique prints. Including duplicates and spares, that's 15 printed elements in total. 

In the mix are the new wheel moulds, this time with yellow 'PIRELLI' print (6481568 | 107728). They can be found unprinted in 76922 BMW M4 GT3 & BMW M Hybrid V8 Race Cars, that Thomas Jenkins recently reviewed. 

A personal favourite is the Game Controller with print in Titanium Metallic / Pearl Titanium (6472255 | 106739). It's an intensely detailed print, with applications ranging from arcade games to spaceship control yokes.

The remaining prints mostly feature sponsors' logos:

• 4 x Dish 2 x 2 Inverted with Blue/Bright Green/Yellow/Red Band print (6483751 | 108313)
• 1 x Wedge Sloped 2 x 5 with White Squares, Dark Azure Stripe, Orange Tip print - Left (6483755 | 108317) and Right (6472232 | 106717) - a new recolour in Black
• 1 x Tile Round 1 x 1 Half Circle with White 'FxPro', Orange Swoosh print (6472230 | 106715)
• 1 x Tile 1 x 2 with Yellowish Green Rectangle, Black Squares print (6472237 | 106722)
• 1 x Brick Sloped 1 x 6 x 1 with Orange Squares, Azure Shape print in Black (6472231) - new recolour in Black 

There are only so many details that can be captured with prints, however. Enter the sticker sheet, where the logo mania continues:

With a handful of duplicates, there are 30 stickers in total. Which is a lot, but expected for a race car whose real life counterpart is awash with sponsors.

Minifigure

By comparison, the Minifigure looks rather plain; sporting just the McLaren logo and some orange trim front and back. Even the face looks rather placid for a driver taking 120mph corners.

The standard crash helmet in orange is more significant. Its only other appearance was 14 years ago in a promotional polybag for the LEGO® Universe game (yes, I'm afraid it has been that long since LEGO Universe). It is printed (6483753 | 108315) this time around, but still, it's nice to have a stupidly expensive colour back in circulation.

The build

A number of nifty techniques are used to make the car look spindly but feel sturdy; critical factors for an F1 car and LEGO set respectively.

Sturdier than it looks, the nose construction jumps from 2 modules wide to 1, then back to 2 again. The whole thing is then cinched into place by the printed 1x6 slope. 

A closer look at the midsection reveals that the spoons have become wing mirrors. Further back, an intricate cluster of brackets and SNOT bricks support some of the tasty new slopes and tiles. Also note the 1x3 inverted arch (70681), mounted at a 45° angle with a minifigure posing stand. 

Clever stuff, but the real gem techniques-wise is the tail section:

If the presence of a lone minifig ski in the inventory seemed weird, just look at how it's used. A mere sliver of it is visible on the completed model. The rest is sandwiched between the printed wedge slopes and further hidden by a pair of 2x2x3 arched window frames - ingenious! 

With scarcely a stud in sight, the finished vehicle looks wonderful. Any nooks and crannies (of which there are few) blend into the shadows thanks to the striking colour scheme. The 1x3 inverted arches on each side do have a tendency to pop off. Otherwise, for such a slender vehicle, it's remarkably stable.

Omitting the stickers, as I did, does result in an unnaturally plain looking F1 car. So, if accuracy is of paramount importance to you, stickers are necessary to achieve 'the look'. However, with so many tantalising new parts earmarked for MOCs, I doubt I'm alone in being satisfied with this look for the duration... drive it fast enough and it all becomes a blur anyway!

US$26.99/ £20.99/ 26.99€/ AU$39.99

Set 76919 on LEGO.com

READ MORE: What are the new LEGO® parts in June 2024 sets?

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