Luxury cars and LEGO enthusiasts alike, this one’s for you. The hype for the new LEGO 42115 Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 model is real, and for good reason. As a 1:8 scale replica of the latest one-off variant of the Aventador model, the LEGO Technic version of the Sián FKP 37 has a ton going for it (ten, to be exact), to make it a must-have for collectors.
As its name suggests, the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 is the luxury sports car company’s first electric car. Though there isn’t any actual electricity powering the LEGO Technic model, it carries over the car’s electric lime-green colourway, as well as exquisite design, details and moving parts that will no doubt make this 3,696-piece build a talking point for any gathering in your home.
In any case, your interest has been piqued to get a unit for yourself, here are 10 things you need to know about the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 once you’ve finally built it to its green, glorious completion (a feat which no doubt will take many, many hours).
1: Turning the steering wheel moves the front wheels
Like any proper LEGO Technic car model, the steering wheels on the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 do turn, which also steer the front wheels left and right. This is similar to most other LEGO Technic car models, as well as the likes of the LEGO 1989 Batmobile 76139.
2: The gear shift moves to activate a fully-functioning 8-speed gearbox
Just beside the steering wheel is, of course, the gear shift. It can be shifted to three main positions (drive, neutral, reverse), which doesn’t actually change the way the wheels on the model operate (since it is just a model, after all), but only switches out the gears in the gearbox located behind. It’s still a nice bit of detail, regardless.
3. The gearbox can be seen underneath the model
Speaking of which, the gearbox of the real-life Sián FKP 37 obviously can only be found by taking the thing apart, which sets the LEGO Technic model apart from it. Flipping the model over (be very careful though) reveals the gearbox, which clicks into different positions depending on the position of the gear shift in the driver’s seat. Though it doesn’t actually change the way the model moves from what we’ve observed, it does show how cool the inner workings of your hard work are once the whole thing is put together.
4. The gear shift stick moves to drive, neutral and reverse mode
Even the gear shift stick has 3 positions, enabling the car to shift to drive mode, neutral, and reverse mode. This just makes us wish there was an actual battery operated engine and remote control to see it all in action. (more on this below)
5: Pressing the catches behind the driver’s seat opens the two wing doors
Though doors are also essentially a given in cars, seeing the ones on the Sián FKP 37 open vertically is always a sight to see, even in LEGO Technic form. Each catch is located just behind the driver’s seat, and seeing the doors open just by pressing it will no doubt be a satisfying sight to behold.
6: The rear panel can be removed to reveal the V12 engine
Like how the gearbox can be seen underneath, the V12 engine is easily exposed just by lifting the rear panel. Also, this reveals the top part of the gearbox and all its moving parts, which adds more cool factor to this set.
7: Lifting a catch in the driver’s seat raises the rear spoiler
Another small but satisfying mechanic is the spoiler that reveals itself by lifting a catch located just beside the steering wheel. It may not give the model actual aerodynamic benefits, but we like to think it just makes it look even better as a result.
8: It comes with active suspension
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper LEGO Technic car without some suspension! Simply pressing on it activates the mechanic, and it’s making us wish it could bounce like a Lowrider.
9: Lifting the hood reveals a removable miniature weekend bag
While we’ve been focusing so much on the middle and rear of the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37, it goes without saying that the hood can also be opened up. And in doing so reveals a “hidden” compartment where you can store a miniature weekend bag that comes in the box as well. We wonder if there’s an actual bag in the real-life car, though.
10: Under the hood is also a unique serial number that unlocks special content
Right beside the compartment that holds the bag is a small area where this unique serial number is located. You can actually use the code and input it in the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 Owner’s Club website to reveal a printable certificate of ownership, as well as exclusive wallpapers, posters and ringtones to cap off your flex.
While we are talking about fast cars, we actually had a few minutes to sit down with Aurelien Rouffiange, Senior Designer for the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sián FKP 37. Having worked on the model for over three years (one year for conceptualisation, and another two years for development and finalisation), Rouffiange shared his insights on the development and design process for it.
Developing the LEGO Technic model was no small feat. Rouffiange said that the team took about “50 to 60” different prototypes and iterations of the model until they finally settled on the one you see before you. This final product is, in his team’s eyes, the best fit for incorporating the various elements of the real-life car into the LEGO Technic model.
“We wanted to keep [the LEGO Technic model] as authentic as possible to the real car, so we worked closely with the Lamborghini design team in Italy to view sketches and have them share early models with us,” said Rouffiange. “[While] we have our own ideas on what to work with, the main focus is to find a car that is relatively new to the market and groundbreaking in functionality, as well as challenging to build as a LEGO Technic model.”
While there are actually 63 different colour variations of the real-life Sián FKP 37 that have left the factory, picking out the lime green colour “really screams Lamborghini” and is true to the brand, given how many of its past models were given the same paint job as well.
While Rouffiange says the overall development for the LEGO Technic model was a generally smooth one, it definitely wasn’t without its challenges, hence the close to 60 different prototypes. This was due to the team initially struggling to decide which parts of the car to adapt into LEGO Technic form without compromising on space and pieces.
The biggest challenge was deciding whether to make this model an electric-powered one by making a LEGO Technic version of the V12 engine to ape the electric nature of the car itself. The team contemplated it for some time, but ultimately decided against it as they wanted to make a “fully technical model”, as was the case with all previous LEGO Technic car models. Also, the team found the miniature engine too bulky to be included in the chassis, which made it difficult to slot in the rest of the components.
In retrospect, Rouffiange doesn’t regret not taking that risk, as he and his team felt that the final product was ultimately the best version of the model to have come out of the think tank.
“I don’t think we dropped a lot of elements on this one, except for the electric aspect, purely because we want it to be a technical build. It’s more a process of simplification and streamlining the build to make integrating elements such as seats and steering wheels easier, or to better flesh out the gearbox aspect so it better reflects how the original model works,” he noted.
“We had a lot of time to refine this model, so I think we really pushed ourselves to perfect the design of the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37.”
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Yonk
Trinity Sun
