Review: LEGO 76918 McLaren Solus GT & F1 LM

April 18, 2023 | 2

New LEGO Speed Champions sets are always exciting, as we get to see how the designers push the limits of the LEGO system further each year.

The biggest Speed Champions set this year is 76918 McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM, a twin pack featuring a duo of McLaren cars from different eras. In the US, the set is priced at US$34.99, which is cheaper than buying two individual Speed Champions sets separately, but is it any good? Let’s find out!

This is a guest review from our resident LEGO Star Wars and automotive correspondent, vaderfan_2187. We’re working on reviewing the entire lineup of 2023 LEGO Speed Champions sets, so keep an eye out for more!

Check out his other Speed Champions reviews:

• Review: 76914 Ferrari 812 Competizione
• Review: 76915 Pagani Utopia
• Review: 76917 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
• Review: LEGO 76907 Lotus Evija

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for sending this set over for review.

76918 McLaren Solus GT & F1 LM Set Details

Set Name: McLaren Solus GT & McLaren F1 LM
Set number: 76918
Pieces: 581
Minifigures: 2
Retail Price: US$34.99 / £39.99 / AU$69.99
Theme: Speed Champions
Release Date: 1 March 2023
Designer: Chris Stamp

Unboxing

The front of the box shows the two McLaren cars speeding along a racetrack, along with logos for LEGO Speed Champions and McLaren.

The back shows alternate angles for the builds and comparison images to the real cars, pretty standard affair for Speed Champions sets.

Inside the box you’ll find four numbered bags, one chassis part on its own, two sticker sheets, and two instruction manuals. Bags 1 and 2 build the Solus GT, while 3 and 4 build the F1.

Here’s a closer look at the sticker sheets, which aren’t very big for Speed Champions sets. Some of the stickers are quite small though, so may be a bit challenging to apply.

Minifigures

The first minifigure is the male driver of the McLaren F1, who wears a casual outfit featuring a McLaren-themed hoodie and dark blue pants. He has a common dark brown hairpiece, which can be swapped out for a white racing helmet.

Here’s how the back of his hoodie looks, with a orange lining to his hood to fir the McLaren theme!

The driver of the Solus GT is female, and she wears a really nice McLaren racing suit, with light grey stitching printed on the torso and legs. She comes with a brown hairpiece, black racing helmet, and a black wrench.

Her head is double-sided so has a more joyous expression on the reverse, while the back of her racing suit has the McLaren logo.

Both of these minifigures are adequate for the vehicles included, although maybe a third would be nice at this price range.

Comparison

Here’s the real McLaren F1 LM for comparison.

And here’s the McLaren Solus GT, which was adapted from the Gran Turismo video game into a real car.

Builds

Let’s start by taking a look at the McLaren F1, which is the more conventional of the two vehicles. The real McLaren F1 holds the record for being the fastest naturally aspirated production car ever!

It’s built atop the standard 6-wide chassis piece used on all the modern 8-wide Speed Champions cars. Despite its slightly simpler external design, you can already see some of the clever build techniques for attaching the front of the car or the upside-down rear section.

The car sports the iconic McLaren papaya orange colour scheme. The real car’s angles translate pretty well to LEGO form compared to some modern supercars, although it still is a bit boxier than the real thing.

The front is mounted at an angle, and builds in multiple directions to achieve the necessary shaping and details. The headlights are brick-built and look pretty good, although they are a bit too squarish. Stickers are also used for the vents, hazard lights, and front grille, while the McLaren text logo is printed on the side of a 1×4 plate.

One of the defining traits of the McLaren F1 is its side bodywork, which has three distinct lines around the door area. The LEGO designers attempted to replicate that using a oar paddle piece sandwiched between wedge plates and slanted plates, and while the lines are kind of there, the overall look doesn’t quite look right.

Another disadvantage is that the slanted plates are connected with just one Technic pin each, meaning if you pick up the car from the centre section you can lift them out of alignment. This is a relatively small complaint though, as it’s really easy to put them back in place once you set the car down.

Here’s a look at the back of the car, which uses studs-not-on-top techniques for the rear lights and bodywork, while the bottom half of the rear is actually built upside-down to connect the exhaust pipes! There’s a stickered 1×3 tile in the middle for the rear grille, plus a couple of printed 1×8 plates below for extra detail. The brick-built spoiler also replicates a feature exclusive to the LM variant of the F1.

The center section of the F1 uses a printed windshield, plus a pair of new corner slopes with stickers on them that continue the bodywork behind the windshield seamlessly.

The windscreen print is really nice, although the shade of orange is still slightly different from that of the bricks – an issue that has plagued LEGO for a while now.

Inside, the designers have replicated the distinctive three-seat setup that the F1 has, with a flame yellowish orange centre seat and black rear seats.

Unfortunately you can’t fit minifigures in the other two seats, but the hollow spaces there simulate the space to represent extra seats, and it looks pretty respectable.

The driver gets a centered steering wheel and a microphone piece as a gear shifter.

You can put a minifigure in the driver’s seat; due to the three-seat setup he sits a bit further forward than other Speed Champions sets.

That’s not an issue though, as the minifigure still fits snugly under the windscreen element.

Interestingly, the McLaren F1 uses the older style of Speed Champions wheels, which has separate wheel hub and tyre elements as opposed to the newer dual-molded style.

On the whole, the McLaren F1 is a respectable model of an iconic car. My main gripe with the car is that despite its complex build techniques, the final model still looks a bit too blocky.

On to the far more interesting build of the two, the Solus GT.

It has a black and white colour scheme with orange highlights, to tie in with the other McLaren car in this set.

A look at the underside reveals that this model has a drastically different construction to other Speed Champions cars, forgoing the standard chassis piece in favor of a mix of odd and even construction.

This unusual design allows the final model to be 9 studs wide, which drastically differs from LEGO’s usual even-based construction.

While not as sleek as the real car, the LEGO Solus GT still has lots of crazy angular design elements across the bodywork.

Wedge plates and hinges are used cohesively in ingenious build techniques that make parts line up in ways they shouldn’t, making this an eye-opening build experience from start to finish.

It’s also surprisingly sleek, with a nice low design for the overall body.

The front of the car uses printed 1×3 wedge plates for the headlights, along with a stickered 1×2 tile with the McLaren logo. This is mounted at an angle, and does a reasonable job approximating the real deal.

The back is also equally detailed, using a pair of trans-red spearheads for the rear lights, a technique first used in another McLaren set.

Some corner panels are used for the giant diffuser at the back, plus a stickered 2×2 curved slope.

The side bodywork of the car has some crazy angles, including this 1×4 wedge slope and angled 1×2 wedge plate that line up in a super satisfying angle.

The white triangular tiles really complete the look, but can be a little prone to being knocked off/misaligned when you grab the model by the midsection.

Still, this middle section is an impressive demonstration of LEGO engineering, enabled by the unconventional chassis design.

Next up is the driver’s section, which uses the new cockpit element that also appears in 76916 Porsche 963. It has a different printed design, including a metallic print that extends to the sticker on the slope behind it.

Behind the cockpit are black versions of the new 1×5 corner slopes that also appear on the McLaren F1, with additional sticker detailing. There’s also this subtle rear fin that runs down the centre of the rear bodywork.

The cockpit piece is connected with two studs so can be detached easily to access the interior.

To put the driver inside, you first need to angle the steering wheel out of the way. The steering wheel actually uses the gaming controller mold in all-black, which actually is a reasonable rendition of the real thing.

Once the driver is in place, you can angle the steering wheel back. It does look a little awkward as it’s quite close to the driver’s face.

It’s a tight squeeze in that one-seater cockpit, but I’m sure the driver can manage!

On the whole, the McLaren Solus GT is one of the most unique builds in the Speed Champions theme so far, although a couple of loose parts around the centre bodywork can be slightly irksome.

Oh, and just in case you’re interested, here’s a group shot of all the March 2023 Speed Champions sets. Which one is your favorite?

I like the Ferrari 812 Competizione for its overall design in LEGO, but the Solus GT and Porsche 963 definitely offer the most unique build processes in this lineup.

Final Thoughts

What I liked:

• Solus GT offers a very different build experience with newer, crazier techniques
• Great details and interior on the McLaren F1 LM
• Good value, especially in the U.S.

What I didn’t like:

• Minor stability issues in the midsection of both cars
• McLaren F1 LM final design is a little too boxy

Final Thoughts: Overall, this set pleasantly surprised me. I wasn’t impressed by the design of the Solus GT when images were first revealed, but the build process is ingenious and unique in an already creative theme.

The McLaren F1 LM is also a good addition for those who prefer a more traditional car design, and it has its fair share of clever sub-assemblies. AU$AU$69.99 / £39.99 is a reasonable price in comparison to other 2023 sets, and the American price of US$34.99 is even better as it costs less than buying two Speed Champions cars individually.

Build [4] – The Solus GT impresses with its build experience, and the McLaren F1 LM is a good-looking car too.
Minifigures [3] – Two minifigures in a US$40 set is a bit low, but then again you only really need two drivers.
Real Value [4] – £40 feels fair in 2023, and US$35 is a pretty good deal in comparison to other Speed Champions sets. Unfortunately, in Australia, the AU$69.99 pricetag is more than 2 Speed Champions sets.
Innovation [5] – Lots of inspired build techniques in two relatively small models, hats off to the designers.
Keepability [3] – A strong addition to the Speed Champions theme.

Final Rating: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 76918 McLaren Solus GT & F1 LM is available from LEGO.com, your local LEGO store, or online from Amazon.

Want to read more 2023 LEGO Speed Champions reviews? Check out some of Vaderfan’s other LEGO Speed Champions reviews!

• Review: 76914 Ferrari 812 Competizione
• Review: 76915 Pagani Utopia
• Review: 76917 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
• Review: LEGO 76907 Lotus Evija

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