Review: LEGO 42109 Top Gear Rally Car

Theme: Technic

Item: 42109

Pieces: 463

Buy it here: Shop LEGO

“This set is 39% LEGO Pins. I’m not joking…”

I have never built technic before, can you believe it?! So when I saw there was a remote control rally car, I jumped at this set. I imagined hours of fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping, remote-controlled activities. Which, when edited correctly with 200-300% speed increase, you’ll get (see video below). In reality, maybe not so much.

Don’t get me wrong, the build was fun, it was something a little different than the brick on brick action I am used to, but I’m not kidding when I say it’s 39% LEGO pins. 181 pieces out of the 463 pieces are various types of pins. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just new for me!

Let’s chat about the performance. One of the reasons I got this, was with the vision to film a video that is a little different to stop motion animations I usually do.

Connecting to the app was ridiculously easy. I mean, unbelievably easy! I have more trouble with my Bluetooth speaker, which has one single function. I took the car out to the streets to start lining up shots. Initial thoughts, it wasn’t as fast as I expected. I probably over anticipated the power of the LEGO 9V electric motor, but that aside, it was still pretty fun. Another thing to remember is that LEGO plastic is very static! The moment I remove it from the plastic bags out of the box, it’s usually a magnet for cat hair, so you can imagine the dust and dirt that stuck to it on the road outside.

The car has three gears, which you can swap between remote controls and have as automatic, or manual. I did manage to get the car moving quite slowly (by choice) for some of my video shots, but what I found difficult was keeping my eyes on the road, and keeping a feel of the control. Due to it being app-based, the accelerator and steering are on the flat screen of a smart device. Which is cool, but you can’t feel the controls. I found myself quite often being a little ambitious with trying to hit the max speed, only to have my finger exit the screen and power dropping to zero. Similar goes for the steering, I found the car drifting to the right (even after checking all the alignments were straight and reconfiguring), meaning I had to constantly steer left the slightest bit to try keep a straight line.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with the car. I took it out to the driveway for some flat cone dodging challenges, to the road for some high-speed action shots, down an uneven pathway for some mini-hill incline and declines, and even some gravel paths which have a variety of success. I drove it into gutters, through puddles, into fences and over rocks and sticks. Not all on purpose, but fair to say this rally car has been tested and has the battle scars to prove it.

Check out the video above for the highlight reel, and the photos of what it’s been through.

Your purchase of this car could go one of two way… You’ll build is, drive it around the lounge, it’ll sit on the shelf for a few weeks before you repurpose the motors. Or, you’ll take your toys outside and get them dirty! Which will you be? Let me know in the comments below!

Please leave a comment with your reviews of this set, or any opinions about ours!