McLaren is one of the most well-trodden teams in LEGO sets in modern Formula 1 – but how does the latest LEGO Speed Champions 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 fare?
Between a previous LEGO Speed Champions set, various Technic models, and even a classic Icons build, McLaren has had a hefty share of the attention from the LEGO Group. The latest iteration focuses on the 2024 livery, in the same style as the nine other models coming in the March 1 wave.
Made up of 269 pieces, let's see how well papaya rules serve you when it comes to LEGO Speed Champions sets...
Release: March 1, 2025 Price: £22.99 / $26.99 / €26.99 Pieces: 269 Minifigures: 1 LEGO:
Points for fussiness
While 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 doesn't have the most parts of the wave, you'd think it does just by sheer fiddliness. The majority of the LEGO Speed Champions sets are built up gradually from the body or in separate parts that slot together. Each one has a different rhythm and structure but 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 stands out for being simply... awkward.
Rather than building the front wing, then the body, and then the rear wing – like 77244 Mercedes-AMG F1 W15, for example – you build small sections of five to six pieces that then attach to the body in what might be the fiddliest process ever. That's made worse by the fact that a lot of them are rounded off with stickers that should align but are placed at different times, so it's hard to know which lines are meant to align where without looking several pages ahead each time.
Speaking of stickers, the sponsor on the rear wing has some effect to it where it always looks like it's not smoothed out. Looking for a set that you'll be convinced you've built wrong, even days after you've finished it? 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 is your guy – enjoy the stress!
Let's smooth it out
The build's fussiness also means that there are a lot of different bars and elements coming together for the bodywork, rather than solid tiles like 77242 Ferrari SF-24 F1 or smooth bodywork elements like most of the rest of the wave. That leaves gaps where you can see into the bodywork of the car, something that's definitely not a feature on the real car. You can see what we're talking about with the grey 1x2 you can see poking through in the photo above.
You'd perhaps forgive a fussy build if it resulted in something impressive at the end, or featured some creative building techniques you might learn from. In this case, however, it's created more problems than it's solved.
A moment for our sponsors
That's not to say there's nothing to love about 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38, of course. Take a step back and the colourful variety of sponsors that McLaren is often teased for makes for an eye-catching car.
The main colours may be black and orange (sadly no new papaya colour) but the Chrome wheel rims are a particular delight, as well as the contrasting PC World slopes just behind them. So long as you're not looking too closely at some of the patchy bodywork, you can't deny that McLaren's vibrant livery plays well in LEGO bricks.
77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 has a more recent predecessor than many others in the wave in the form of 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car – and it's hard to see what the more recent update offers that the first doesn't. If you're especially keen to have the most recent livery or you want all your LEGO Speed Champions Formula 1 cars to match, it may be worth picking up 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 – or you could simply save yourself from a frustrating build.
Honest opinion: A fussy build leaves a sour taste while building 77251 McLaren F1 Team MCL38 – but it looks good from afar at least.
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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