Alan’s Bugatti Chiron, 3,599 pieces done
Alan sent photos of his Bugatti Chiron (42083) build and it looks exactly as it should. This is one of the flagship kits in the library, a 1:8 scale replica of the 1,500bhp W16-powered hypercar, and at 3,599 pieces it takes time: reviewers put it at anywhere from 10 to 20 hours.
The W16 engine is the centrepiece. All 16 pistons move as you roll the car, although the engine sits on top of the gearbox under the rear deck and once the body is on you only see the tops of the cylinders. The rear wing is raised and tilted with a speed key that slots into a port behind the rear wheel, and the 8-speed gearbox (eight forward gears and reverse) is fully functional. You can shift it with the paddles under the steering wheel while the model is on the desk in front of you.
Alan’s photos show the two-tone blue, dark azure at the front and dark blue at the back, coming together cleanly. This is the kind of build that takes up several evenings but leaves you with something worth putting on display.
LEGO built all 16 pistons to move in the correct sequence, driven by three 24-tooth gears rather than a single crankshaft. Roll the car and the rear wheels turn the engine through the gearbox. Nothing opens to put it on show, though: the W16 sits on top of the gearbox under the rear deck, and once the bodywork is on you only glimpse the tops of the cylinders, so have a proper look before the body goes on.
The active rear spoiler is worth spending a minute on. The real Chiron deploys its spoiler at speed, it’s part of the aeroactive management system on a car that weighs 1,995kg and does over 260mph. LEGO’s version is worked by a grey copy of the real car’s Top Speed key: slot it into the port behind the rear wheel and turn, and the first part of the turn raises the wing, the rest tilts it into the airbrake position. Small thing, but it’s a nice detail on a licensed flagship.
At 1:8, this is one of the largest car kits in the library. The finished model is around 56cm long. It takes up space. Plan for that before you sit down with the box.
Alan has worked through enough of the library now that his photos are useful in a different way to product shots. They show the kit as a builder actually sees it: on a table, built in normal light, with the little mechanical details doing the talking.
If you have built Bugatti Chiron and spotted something I have missed, send it over. The member posts are better when they feel like a record of what people are actually building, not just a list of sets we happen to stock.
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