You do not get to pick which of these turns up, so treat this as a heads-up rather than a shopping list. Both are in the library, both are full 1:8 flagships, and if you stay subscribed long enough you will most likely build both.
What follows is what each one actually asks of you, and which order I would take them in if they both came round in the same year.
Bugatti Chiron (42083)
The gearbox is the centre of this model and everything else is arranged around it. Eight speeds, movable paddles behind the wheel, and a W16 that gives the back of the chassis a layout you will not see on any of the V8 cars.
The top-speed key swings the rear wing from handling position to top-speed position. It is a small manual function next to a motorised model, but it belongs to this particular car rather than being a generic opening panel, and I like it for that.
One warning. This is a 2018 set with a dense transmission that ends up under several later layers. Test every selector and turn the drivetrain over while it is all still open. A mistake in the middle of that gearbox gets expensive once the blue bodywork is on.
See the Chiron →
McLaren P1 (42172)
294 more pieces, and a longer, narrower car. The seven-speed gearbox works off a shifter drum, with the V8, suspension and steering forming the mechanical core around it.
The second half of the build has a clearer purpose than the Chiron’s does. The dihedral doors are part of the structure rather than an afterthought, and the car has a recognisable side profile well before the orange panels go on.
Do not mistake the newer set for the shorter job. At 3,893 pieces it wants the same clear table and the same sensible stopping points.
See the P1 →The difference that catches people out
Both get described as 1:8 cars, so people assume they need the same shelf. They do not. The P1 is 59 cm long and 25 cm wide. The Chiron is 56 cm long and 32 cm wide.
That is seven centimetres of extra depth on the Bugatti, which is the difference between fitting on a normal shelf and not. Measure the space rather than trusting the scale. If your display spot is narrow, the P1 will go where the Chiron will not.
Two hands, under the chassis, every time. Do not lift either car by a door, a wing or a roof section. They are heavy enough that a panel will come away in your hand and you will spend the evening finding out where it went.
If they both come round, build the Chiron first
This is the only bit of ordering you actually control, so it is the one decision here that matters.
Going from the 2018 gearbox to the 2024 one makes the six years of design change obvious. You notice how much tidier the P1’s assembly order is, how the shifter drum solves a problem the Chiron works around, and how differently the two cars carry their engines. Do it the other way and the Chiron just feels older.
That comparison is half the enjoyment of having built both, and it is the sort of thing you only get from a library rather than a shelf of sets you paid for individually.
Piece counts and dimensions come from LEGO’s own pages for 42083 and 42172. The Chiron is retired and the P1 is still in the current range, which is worth knowing if you were ever tempted to buy one outright.
If you have built either, send me a photograph at garreth@brickclub.uk or put it in the Brick Club Facebook group. I am always interested in how people have displayed them.
Up to six or twelve kits a year, and you never know which
Every box is a Technic set worth over 100 pounds, chosen at random, and you never get the same kit twice. Postage both ways, a pre-paid return label, a brick separator and the official instructions come with all of them.
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