My previous build and survey of the Speed Champions series happened to coincide with the team shifting the model design scale from 6 to 8-studs wide. This chapter takes a look at the first three four* seasons of these new larger-scale sets. *Updated with the 2023 models!

The increase from six to eight-studs of width in 2020 noticeably bumped up the models' scale, and with that larger size came the opportunity for more detail and even more clever building techniques. Over a few short years, the evolution of the models' design and build experiences in this new scale has been quite rapid (and certainly informed by customer feedback) with several of the most recent releases rising to amongst the best sets Lego has to offer. (Originally posted 2022-08-11, updated 2023-06-12)

The first wave of eight-wide models in 2020 were predominantly a basic Lego-stacking process. No internal details, lots of solid blocks and miscellaneous plate stacking focused on filling up a solid core mass then sticking on bits of exterior shaping. Minifigs barely fit, contorted and smushed against their car's windscreen, and steering wheels awkwardly offset.

Subsequent series models (2021~2023) became more clever and intricate. They are much more enjoyable builds with many interesting techniques and better results... Some models have solved the offset steering and non-fitting minifigs problems. The new "low profile" co-moulded wheel/tires look much much better at this scale.

The 2023 series' parts-selections are all on-theme; the color-vomit of many previous sets is gone which makes nice alt-builds possible. All are also fine parts packs with lots of slopes, brackets, and new bits. The printed windscreens can be pretty limiting, however.

Subjectively mapping the models across axes for Build Experience and Finished Result reveals there are some clear standouts particularly from the 2022 wave and a strong center of gravity as a standard. The team at Lego to continue to push this Speed Champion scale toward compact Creator Expert-level models with lots of sub-assemblies, intricate clever connections, and advanced techniques. As a result, many of those 2022 models are my favorites by far and count amongst my favorite Lego sets, period.

The packaging and product experience are mostly on point now, too. I appreciate the larger boxes and mostly-flat instructions books and sticker sheets... The six-wide products had everything jammed, folded and bent into their much smaller boxes. I wish the SC boxes were taped closed or clamshell rather than tear-apart, but otherwise the presentation feels more special.

Cool subjects, great results, enjoyable builds, interesting techniques, good parts. Want to rebuild them over and over because they're fun. Will keep them around on the shelf because they look amazing.

76906 Ferrari 512M

2022, 291 pc

This is Lego-building at its best. Surprising combinations and techniques, beautiful perfect results. It's a masterclass. One of the all-time great Lego sets, a brilliant expression of Lego as a system for creativity.

• Part colors are on-theme
  
• Interesting chassis build, supporting structures are intriguing, makes for some cool shapes
  
• Little bars everywhere, so many open-hole plates. Borderline mini-Technic ;)
  
• Kinda-mechanical bits in the rear; transmission endcap, the hinges and white open-stud plate exhausts
  
• 9-wide tail :)
  
• Rear fenders build with the upside-down bits clipped onto bars is visionary. So satisfying.
  
• Those smooth sidepods with hinges and their tops working as thin brackets, plates and brackets and slopes all combined together is next-level. Amazing.
  
• Conical windscreen/roof canopy shape is iffy... Probably the best Lego part to use, but it's still a little awkward.
  
• Race cars need a size larger rear wheel/tire (similar issue as the Formula 1 cars)
  
• Such a transcendental build that I forgot to keep track of time

76909 AMG One

2022, 316pc

Amongst my favorite builds. So satisfying throughout. Pleasantly surprised at how great a build it is, and the finished model looks fantastic.

• Parts colors reasonably on-theme. Will be a good set for alt-builds.
  
• Perfect-bound instruction books feel very "Creator Expert" ;)
  
• Tail build got pretty interesting pretty quickly; what are these white taps going to be doing?
  
• Loads of those 2/3-tall black bricks, really put them to work
  
• Great use of open-stud plates to shift to odd-stud-width tail build
  
• Even more odd-stud cleverness; those hinges, the inverted 1x3 tile
  
• Love the little-Creator-Expert-ness of this build
  
• That fin build moment is exquisite
  
• Offset steering wheel tho, still... :( (and why not the game-controller?)
  
• Ball-socket front build is great and that printed grill piece is very very nice
  
• Half-stud-shifted front splitter is another fun "whoa-what" moment
  
• Lots of aero surface detail
  
• The hood vents build - so simple but mad genius that it works
  
• OMG, the white taps under the tail hook the diffuser tunnels on. So satisfying
  
• Interior is pretty sparse, odd use of the hinge-bricks as seat-backs. At least she fits, tho
  
• Really like how it looks. Appears larger and less "cute" than most of the other cars. Has the right mass, some really nice shaping and excellent details
  
• Stickers hurt the result; the disjointed stuttering black "c pillar window" stickers don't work
  
• Build took about an hour and ten minutes, with pauses to be appropriately impressed
  
• To Do: cut some black vinyl rear quarter windows

76905 Ford Bronco

2022, 425pc

This is pretty awesome. Love all the blue roll-bars and rear-tire-mount details. Plenty of opportunity to mod the build and bring in a bunch more mechanical detail, primarily underneath.

• Built from a gazillion pieces. I love it.
  
• Parts colors on theme
  
• Ridiculously massive solid chassis ripe for modding with much more interesting mechanical and suspension detail.
  
• Fender-bracket building works out impressively
  
• Definitely enjoying all the little sub-build units that attach to the chassis.
  
• Interior bars and details are amazing.
  
• Nice brick-built livery. Might consider putting some stickers on!
  
• Upper rear side panels clipped on is some sweet building and an impressive result.
  
• Massive. Gigantic. Huge. Looks like a whole other scale.
  
• Like the Mini Dakar, this feels like a much more advanced "Creator Expert" ish build. That's a very good thing, imo.
  
• To Do: under-chassis suspension and mechanical detail. Wheel/tire size accurate?

76910 Valkyrie

2022, 312pc

Some fundamental proportional issues which would otherwise drop it down in the 'good-ish' group but it's such an enjoyable and intricate build that it's up here. I can appreciate the complexity of the build and the result almost works but that too-long wheelbase to the front throws it well off.

• Crazy how complicated the structures are; backed into them? Is this the best way to build this?
  
• Five-wide center via technic bits :)
  
• Rear diffuser build is great - so simple, but such a good use of brackets. Lovely integration of little flashes of red
  
• Definitely appreciate how the wavy wing came together (don't really like how it looks, but that's on Aston)
  
• The fin mount and odd-stud width roof built up around it are pretty ingenious
  
• Yay proper interior seat-backs! Fig fits very nicely.
  
• That 2x2 hinge-top piece as filler for the lower side skirts? What? MADNESS!
  
• This is surely a challenging build for little kids. I love it tho.
  
• Standard steering wheel? In this car? Come on, definitely needs that game-controller part.
  
• Love that this builds up with so many separate sections, modules, and mini-builds. So much fun.
  
• Needs one-stud less axle-to-dash for a shorter overall wheelbase and tighter front end. Mid and aft proportions are pretty dialed tho.
  
• Printed roof piece looks pretty good, that metallic ink is sweet.
  
• Great colors and details all over.
  
• This and the AMG are such great builds; Epic Lego work. So fun.
  
• Build was a bit less than an hour
  
• To Do: shorten front-center (will probably require a chassis redesign)

76908 Lamborghini Countach

2022, 262pc

It's a bold endeavour to take on such an iconic car design. This one is really well done. It works. Rear taillights and top intake boxes are a triumph. Resolving the side NACA intakes are a simple fix, though the thickish nose wants to be modded to be slimmer or steeper.

• Parts colors very much on theme. Cool to see the red built up for the interior.
  
• Rear structures have some interesting combinations of panels, snot-oriented brackets and (trans?) tiles. How'd they end up with that?
  
• NACA side intake mod is simple enough. Just need a couple inverted 2x1 slopes and a few basic plates.
  
• Half-offset hinge bricks make everything better: rear quarter windows and little roof section panels come together very nicely. So good.
  
• Rear clip build is so satisfying: odd-stud, even-stud, open-plates, clips, bars. A triumph of cleverness.
  
• Mounting for rear fender intake boxes also super great. A round-tile-pin press-fit into the technic parts, then locked in with the thin panels. Brilliant.
  
• Rear engine cover kind of wants brick-built openings rather than stickers... possible with tile grills?
  
• Side-panel build feels so MOC-like... but it works out
  
• Offset steering wheel, again. Definitely time to design a new 1-stud-wide steering-wheel mounting part, Lego.
  
• The minifig fits!
  
• Rear wing wants to mount further back, looks like a challenging problem to solve however.
  
• Finished build looks great. It does look quite compact, definitely at the "small & cute" end of the current Speed Champion scales (along with the Vantage GT3, Jesko).
  
• Build took about an hour
  
• To Do: mod nose to drop the splitter downward. Also shift wing-mount backwards. Try some wheel solutions (get the inverted dishes in there?)... maybe extend wheelbase one stud (rear wheels back)?

76918 Solus.

2023, 281pc
I do not like this car IRL, but the build itself is fantastic and is pretty much fully on point in terms of the result. Not sure what to do with it now it's done tho.

• Delightful shapes, refreshingly unusual chassis build
• Tidy model, lots of things hanging off at angles
• Pulled back a bit from the bonkers Valkyrie build; not quite as bonkers, but still a little bonkers
• That rear deck build with all the round plates and black fin was glorious
• Stoked for the black fin recolor
• Love the build sequence
• Those new pointy slope wedges
• Build was about 45 minutes
• Not sure how to make this a cool car tho. @Veloci might know what to do...

76915 Pagani Utopia

2023, 262pc
The surprise build of the 2023 lineup... The Utopia itself not a particularly pretty car - IMO it's a bit soft and lumpy - but the build is super low and kinda cool in other ways. A surprisingly fun build; it's so compact and purposeful there's no need for the plate-stacking space-filling found in so many other SC models. Modded mine as an "R" version which brought some missing edginess, now I like it a lot.

• Coherent color theme really nice, that classy contrast interior.
• Dark Gray primary color is ok, but really should have been something more unusual like Sand Blue. Missed opportunity for some recolors.
• Fun, kinda wacky but simple build.
• That tail, things going in a bunch of directions, angles, interesting slopes, those doors. Good times.
• Camber mod is possible even with nose-build complexity
• New pointy roof wedges are cool, but I wish they were smooth rather than the "roof" slopes texture
• Steering wheel is not offset, so we know Lego can do this ;)
• Inverted nose with pneumatic T's into open-stud rounded plates is super clever; that the stack is exactly 1 brick tall blew my mind
• Headlight prints are 20% too big, look super goofy
• Hope the rounded canopy is used elsewhere, becomes available unprinted.
• Fig doesn't fit with hair
• Satisfying flowing shape, feels nice in the hand - surprisingly lightweight
• It's so low :) those fenders and new chassis really are a triumph
• Build was about 1hr 15min.
• Ranks up with the Evija and Ford GT for clever surfacing builds and finished aesthetic

76918 Mclaren F1 LM.

2023, 290pc
A fine build, an ok result... Feels close to the Lamborghini Countach in terms of build cleverness with several fun surfacing connections... Proportions not radical enough to feel as cool as the Countach; at first glance the finished model is great, but after settling in a while the proportions start to look wonky. Looks too tall, or too short... or both.

• Lots of clever math and building techniques
• Those snot bricks to position the ball just so
• The smooth-center curved corner plate to make way for the bracket
• The T plate to position a bracket
• Rear build with bars and plates and brackets all pointing in various directions
• Those interior side panels, and the little clip setup to fix their leading edges
• That shifter detail
• That center seat build! Really like the accented seat color...
• Nose assemblies are super cool
• So many layers... all the complexity feels purposeful, necessary for the shaping
• Proportions need some reworking; lengthening just the wheelbase doesn't work, windscreen/roof wants to be a plate lower, tail should be a bit shorter.
• Definitely should have been Bright Light Orange.
• Build was an hour, including some sticker work

Enjoyable builds, nice results... Would recommend. It is encouraging that there are so many at this level, gets to how strong this product design team is. Not presented with much implied ranked hierarchy here... they're all good.

76914 Ferrari 812 Competizione.

2023, 261pc.
Just a few mods away from looking great: offset the windscreen/roof, brick-build the hood's black stripe panel, eliminated the yellow Competizione stripe, built out deeper side panels.

• Parts colors on theme
• Dense plate stacking in the rear :/
• Snot-built mounting for exhaust is good math
• Offset steering wheel :(
• Interesting triangle plate under the front to clear the wheel mounting
• Interesting usage of those 2x2 T plates side-ways in the nose to fill in the half-stud nose gap
• Nose looks spectacular, low, wide, angular...
• Tail is nicely shaped too, a plate too tall tho?
• Interior is... not bad... but very simple.
• Seriously with the offset steering wheel... just make a little wheel that fits on a bar, Lego, we'll figure it out.
• Camber mod is possible
• Brickmonkey shifted the screen/roof forward half a stud, looks quite a bit better
• Build was about 50min, plus mod time.
• Nice build - not revolutionary but nice in the Supra, Vantage GT3, Evija realm

76907 Lotus Evija

2022, 247pc

A great dark-green parts pack. Some really nice assemblies... overall a decent build experience and pretty fine looking model. Want to add the nose/hood layers, lose the silly yellow stripe on the windscreen, and try a different color.

• Tail build is great; taillights, that T plate for an inverted wing mount, and "shield" part rear window are excellent.
  
• Angled "quarter" windows on their technic structure are wonderful (though a bit bulky).
  
• Little bit of mechanical depth could be possible under the rear glass (easy to mod, it's just a brick and some plates taking up space under there)
  
• Proper steering wheel position, very good.
  
• Use of hinge tops as thin "plates" is a solid technique (this particular part use appears again on the Valkyrie and 512M)
  
• Bracket studs as aircon vents in dash is cool parts use... I appreciate the design getting more clever in more areas with simple parts usage to mimic minor car-ish details.
  
• Interesting moc-ish side panel builds up solid, but it's not overbuilt as was often the case in earlier models
  
• Really wish the tall SC fenders would get re-designed with the dropped inner plate as on the shorter rounded-leg version. This would free up space to add the Evija's layers over the nose.
  
• Tragic printed yellow stripe on the windscreen is a total failure; too high up, too wavy, the geometry doesn't flow around the corner. Just looks bad.
  
• To Do: rework nose with shorter dark green fenders? Build in different color... bail the striped windscreen.

76910 Vantage GT3

2022, 268pc

Really enjoyable build. Nose and tail constructions are great. Result is very compact, almost looks like a box-flared six-wide.

• Parts colors on-point
  
• Nice, tidy SC build. Interesting constructions, lots of brackets and subtle offsets.
  
• Lovely tail-light construction.
  
• Good seat back, rear bulkhead and c pillar build. Interior looks great.
  
• Steering wheel aligned!!
  
• Big brick instead of an engine (tbf, Astons actually do use a big brick as an engine)
  
• That nose build is super effective.
  
• Interesting new compound-curve slopes with 'headlight' prints. Solves the headlights-as-stickers problem, but not the desire to brick-build them instead.
  
• Seems a bit flat over the rear? Rear fenders could do with some curving height...
  
• Build took about 40 mins
  
• Mods: added a 4x1 double arch over rear fenders and some tiles at the base of the C pillars.

76905 Ford GT

2021, 224pc

An enjoyable new baseline for SC builds, refreshing after the struggles of some of the first-wave 2020 models.

• Parts colors on-theme*
  
• Tail build works out nicely, the way they stack up the snot and panel leaving room to layer in the pointy slopes is simple but ace.
  
• I like the odd-stud engine detail and hinge-brick sail buttresses. Looks good
  
• Hinge-mounted side panels works great, makes me really happy. Even the interior isn't too cramped.
  
• The thick blunt featureless nose is plain and ugly, particularly given the Perry-platypus orange colorway choice.
  
• *Disappointed they went with the tired old Gulf livery rather than some of the other more interesting variations. (*yea i get it: classic legendary blah blah... yet another Gulf livery retread just isn't aesthetically interesting or particularly good looking here.)
  
• Maybe not the best Ford GT in Lego, but definitely Lego's best Ford GT.
  
• Like the F8 Tributo, proportions are a bit too short lengthwise and too tall, but that's kind of the theme's ethos... looks "cute" and matches the other short-wheelbase models like the Elva, Evija, Vantage, & Jesko.
  
• Build took about 45 minutes.

76901 Toyota Supra

2021, 299pc

Pretty good build for a tricky, curvy car. Nice surfacing with tiles and slopes. Model is a great foundation for further modifications (mine's built a full plate lower).

• Parts colorway is consistent.
  
• Rear exhaust and bumper build is wild.
  
• Mostly a pretty standard blocks and brackets build, not especially spectacular but works nicely enough.
  
• Almost has an interior (red color parts look ace)
  
• Half-stud offset for the cockpit and the rear hatch is nice work, nails the Supra's proportions.
  
• Nose build structure is pretty wild too, but those stickers as headlights on awkwardly-staggered slopes? Ah, nah. Gotta be brick-built.
  
• Major modifications done: whole build lowered by a plate. Reworked nose, brick-built headlights, cambered wheel mounting, tuner side panel treatment, reworked interior. Looks perfect now. Worth building in a few different colorways for fun.

Somewhere in here we begin to shift from top-shelf great models to decent models with some caveats...

76900 Koenigsegg Jesko

2021, 280pc

Absolutely beautiful result with some excellent shaping. It's almost brilliant; I immediately liked this one seeing it on release but was left a bit disappointed with the build. Insides are not fully recovered from color-vomit and it's also heavily filled up with a bunch of big bricks. A fine SC set, looks fantastic built, however it's not the pinnacle of SC build experiences I had hoped it might have been.

• Somewhat random colorway. I get the yellow & blue flag, but there's a lot of yellow, and then some random red... just feels random.
  
• Those big bricks. Yea, sure it's the Swedish flag which is cool, but really we can't do anything more interesting in here than slapping down some solid bricks?
  
• Microphone as shifter is nice part use.
  
• Interior needs a redesign; offset steering wheel, weird dashboard...
  
• Tail bodywork shaping is on point. It really is perfection back there. Love that tiny Jesko print.
  
• Nose shaping great, very compact. Nice detail with the cleaver.
  
• Finished model looks great. Proportions are somewhat cute (akin to most of the others), but it looks so good. A very nice, crisp Lego build.
  
• Really happy this exists.
  
• Build took about an hour

76911 James Bond's Aston Martin DB5

2022 298pcs

One of a few off-season movie-theme releases. These are an interesting opportunity for the Speed Champion line... Heavily re-worked my DB5 with a track-day theme to fit in better with my other mostly-modded SC models :)

• Parts on theme, not too many odd-color parts.
  
• Really needed to be lacquered silver; Light Bluish Gray is so flat and dimensionless.
  
• New plain-white instructions cover design feels pretty vacant and dull as well. Bland-gray model doesn't help here either...
  
• Nice, straightforward SC build
  
• Cool construction for the slopes used to infill behind the rear wheels
  
• The rear decklid construction on the bar-plates
  
• Love that there's a finished interior! Previous Speed Champs would have just filled up the space with big bricks
  
• That offset steering wheel tho :/
  
• Rear bumper odd-stud build is simple but clever
  
• New weirdly-cloudy trans windscreen parts are extremely disappointing
  
• Not a brick-built grill
  
• Desperately need a smooth 4x4 tile; the studs on the roof are unfortunate
  
• Front fender build wonderfully intricate
  
• Hood scoop build is pretty cool
  
• Stodgy-looking headlight solution... is this a Morgan?
  
• Mismatched gray roof print is very unfortunate - such a large area to be off-color (and again, that new cloud-translucent-purple plastic is awful)

76902 Mclaren Elva

2021, 263pc

Looks low, angular, pointy. Feels strange to buy a road-car kit without a windscreen... Have to admit I don't find the actual Elva very exciting, so my enthusiasm for this kit isn't particularly high.

• Red-white-blue British-flag colorway nicely integrated, interrupted only by a few random yellow parts.
  
• Cute minifig with a cool hoody
  
• Big gray blocks where the engine would go are a bummer... build an engine, throw on a hinge... make this interesting please.
  
• Dense rear clip build is classic SC
  
• Taillight blade mounting on the taps is brilliant
  
• But the tops of the taillight-taps aren't stud-sized so can't be capped with quarter-round tiles. Looks unfinished...
  
• Corner panel on headlight brick as a shroud for taillight mounts is interesting...
  
• Nose build is great, a panel under brackets
  
• Hinged sides is very clever, really nails the car's shaping.
  
• Steering wheel sits too high. Time to create a new steering-wheel mounting part, Lego. No room for the fig's arms?
  
• Finished model looks pretty good. A bit cute, but has some nice angles and that super-low nose.
  
• Enjoyable, but also somehow not particularly special.
  
• Build took about an hour
  
• To Do: bin? or modify?: revised steering wheel, lift-off rear deck with engine detail, camber wheel mountings, maybe some aggressive aero treatments? Might fiddle with this one a bit... but also not sure it's worth the effort

76916 Porsche 963

2023, 287pc.
The most basic build of the '23 line. Looks decent, easily the best of the prototypes in the SC range, but not a super engaging build. Race cars are challenging given they look pretty plain without all the stickers and at this scale their intricate surfacing doesn't quite translate nor is there much room for mechanical interest inside... Some new parts + looks pretty good - not a super interesting build = mid-pack SC kit

• New 4wide canopy, oddly-narrow shape tho
• New mudguards white + black
• Trans 2x1 half round tile headlights, many new rounded-end bars, and those 2/3-tall rounded side-stud bricks are very adaptable
• Separate sub-assemblies are a cool build, but not very race-car in how they break down the chassis assembly
• A fair bit of plate stacking, that whole rear section is thicc.
• Rear diffuser and taillight section simple but super satisfying
• Finished model flows pretty well and is good and low; but looks a bit too long, or too narrow... or both.
• Build time was probably less than an hour, but heavily distracted by watching the Le Mans 24 race live

76895 Ferrari F8 Tributo

2020, 275pc

First of the eight-wides I'd built, I think it seemed reasonably cool at the time but it's been modded several times over since (first via Legotuner, then super-modded again with even more details).

• Nose details and tail build are great
  
• Inverted lower tail/exhaust/diffuser build is great. So many headlight bricks! The math checks out tho.
  
• Filled up inside with gigantic bricks and plates :/
  
• Interior has some nice details, but too cramped for the fig.
  
• Nose build has some interesting sub-plate stepping to line up slopes.
  
• Proportions still pretty toy-like; a bit too tall, a bit too short... but sits well amongst the other 'cute' models (Jesko, Evija, Vantage)
  
• Major modifications: heavily reworked interior, steering wheel, side-panel redesign, side-intake vanes added, full engine detail under hinged rear deck lid, revised front hood on an angled mounting.
  
• To Do: rebuild a plate lower, a stud longer

76903 Corvette 2021 C8R

2021, 277pc

An unexpectedly enjoyable build, actually. This one's on the cusp, close to great. From a build experience perspective it belongs up with the Vantage and Ford GT but the random part colors and kind of dull finished result bring it down relative to the others.

• Suffers from the random-color disease
  
• Seat-back bulkhead design is a great solution, more comfortable position for the fig to lean back in the cockpit.
  
• Offset steering wheel :/
  
• Has a brick-built engine!
  
• Rear glass and center yellow stripe come together very nicely
  
• Front corner, splitter build is really nice
  
• Great little racecar details like the intake on rear deck and yellow fins on side of diffuser
  
• Curiously grumpy minifig. (Probably got beat by a Porsche, again?)
  
• Nose wants to be lower, pointier (like Jesko or Evija maybe)
  
• Overall feels kind of blocky, flat and a bit dull without the stickers
  
• I wanted to like the finished build more... maybe some mods will help bump it up.

Mixed results here... some are enjoyable builds but with iffy results. Some are beautiful finished models but not particularly great build experiences. Ultimately these are overshadowed by better models and build experiences.

76903 Corvette 1969 c3

2021, 241pc

Gorgeous result. It's beautiful, this should be much further up the rankings; the build has some great moments, but gets let down by too much plate-stacking and pretty gross color-vomit-colored parts. Subject is such a nice contrast to all the mid-engine sports cars. Early releases seemed to suffer from mis-matched dark red parts colors, but mine appears ok (purchased in mid-2022).

• The color barf hurts... So random. Green with that funky nougat and teal... bleh. Maybe it's meant to be a sort of a throwback retro 1960's period kitchen-color thing but... Ew, nah.
  
• Tedious miscellaneous fussy plate stacking just to fill up space. This feels like we're just padding parts count and skipping the opportunity to actually build something interesting.
  
• Impressed by the rear bumper build, snots, plates-with-bars, brackets. The way all the layers come together to a smoothly-boxed tail is very nice. Would like to fix that bumper gap tho.
  
• Really just too much plates on plates on plates ... even more of this in the front.
  
• Offset steering wheel :/
  
• Minifig doesn't fit; nowhere for the arm to go except straight down otherwise conflicts with the base of the windscreen part.
  
• Hit-and-miss build experience saved by finished build which is beautiful. Exterior result is low and sleek.
  
• Printed dish wheel covers work very well here.
  
• This one will stay built because it's beautiful... and I don't really have a use for the funky-colored parts inside.

76897 Audi S1 Quattro

2020, 250pc

Like the C3 Corvette, this one looks pretty good when it's completed. I grew up watching Group B rallying, so it pains me to put this one down here but there's just too much missed opportunity to make the build more interesting and special.

• Parts color refreshingly on-theme, hopefully a sign for things to come
  
• Solid ends full of bricks a missed opportunity. Not even the slightest nod to mechanical details.
  
• Race cars are full of interesting details, even inside; rollbars, controls, fire-extinguishers. This interior is barren and awkward.
  
• Strange build sequencing in some spots and some odd part compromises (what's what all the studs on the roof?). Feels like a draft, feels unrefined and incomplete.
  
• Minifig barely fits, scrunched forward into the steering wheel. Looks very uncomfortable. So we have a huge interior filled up with blocks, and the fig doesn't fit. Lame.
  
• Those printed Audi livery parts are very, very nice.
  
• Love that this exists, but the build feels very basic. Would have been livened up a lot with some interior and mechanical detail.
  
• Build took about 30 minutes.
  
• Major mods done: rebuilt mine with an engine, opening and detailed trunk showing off the rear-mounted radiators, revised interior, and a different livery.

76909 AMG W12 f1

2022, 233pc

I'm conflicted about this one. Like the Valkyrie, the build experience is wonderful; there's that very clever chassis base, but it needs redesign to get the model height (and driver) down where they should be. Chunky engine cover area doesn't feel F1-car sleek.

• Love the technique for the chassis and side pod build, builds really nicely
  
• As with the AMG one, parts colors on point
  
• Finally not the old standard steering wheel! Game-controller ftw
  
• A really enjoyable build
  
• Finished result comes together looking a little wonky; not quite sleek enough, not low enough, wheel/tire combo looks too small for the scale.
  
• Front wing sits up too high and needs modification to drop the driver down (likely a different chassis approach)
  
• Build was about 45 minutes
  
• To Do: look into mods for lower driver, lower front wing, more compact rear bodywork... how far before it's a totally-new moc tho?

76899 Lamborghini Huracan Trofeo

2020, 283pc

This Lamborghini set felt expensive. For the price, neither of the models are particularly outstanding. This was the first of the 'new' wave though, and you have to start somewhere.

• All the random colors inside, ugh
  
• Solid blocks instead of interesting details
  
• Some interesting assemblies; doors, nose, tail, some Technic bits
  
• The nose build is ace, nails the signature pointy angularness of Lamborghini
  
• Massive bulky door mounting doesn't leave room for fig who's left awkwardly hunched forward against the windscreen
  
• Dorsal fin is super cool, but the mounting is bulky, which in turn forces a bunch of complex building
  
• Finished model looks just ok. Has the pointy nose but not really getting any "Huracan" from the rest of the design (missing the angular upper C pillar intake shaping)
  
• Smooth black mid-engine-shaped car doesn't look particularly special without the stickers. Printed windscreen graphics look pretty crisp, but they're very specific, so can't use those parts to build much of anything else
  
• Wants to be a plate lower, a comment which is consistent with - and pretty much singularly defined by - the unnecessarily-chunky top studs of the wheel arch part. Come on Lego, revise that part, release a new version
  
• Build took about an hour

76899 Lamborghini Urus

2020, 318pc

The Urus. It looks bonkers and has some cool surfacing, but this was my least-favorite kind of SC build: super dense, busy, random-feeling plate and brick stacking. No flow, no interest... feels nonsensical and arbitrary.

• Some nice lime parts
  
• Odd stud-count front grill build with the wing plates off the sides is nice work
  
• Not quite sure how the math worked out with that taillight build, but it's awesome (that little trapezoid shape in there!)
  
• Nose, tail, and even the side surfacing details are pretty successful in capturing the Urus' shapes.
  
• Front hood build feels infinite... how many dozens of corner-plates did we just stack up? Would feel better as a sub-assembly, perhaps.
  
• All that massive stacking and building and there's nearly no room for the minifig? That's ridiculous... she's in there jammed in against the windscreen, punching herself in the face. (Sort of feel like punching myself in the face after building this)
  
• This thing is gigantic, enormous ... comical and kind of hilarious. (Maybe that's perfect, just like the real Urus)
  
• Build took about an hour
  
• To Do: worth the effort re-designing an Urus MOC? Maybe? Not sure...

76898 Jaguar

2020, 565pc
While not interesting builds for its subjects, this was a very good parts-pack. The parts selection and coherent colors inherently makes this a good Lego-building set; dump out all the pieces and make something cool*

76898 Jaguar Formula-E

2020, 216pc

Some enjoyable build moments, some cool shapes. These open-wheel cars sort of fit into their own category with their own standards.

• Small technical greebling for front suspension needs to be praised. More of that please.
  
• Lots of plate-stacking... very solid, but not particularly interesting from an "I'm building a car" perspective
  
• Diffuser build uses that 3x2 plate with hole and a jumper plate to reverse direction. Also the single-wide rear crash structure and rain light with headlight bricks is sweet.
  
• Admirable single-stud build for roll-hoop and dorsal fin too
  
• Single-stud front wing connections were a surprise. I do like assemblies that seem fragile initially but work together to form a strong system.
  
• Steering wheel too low and again nowhere for the fig's arms (despite box renderings showing the arms down). Also, a normal round steering wheel in a formula car? Nah... game controller is the only correct answer here.
  
• Proportions are kind of wonky, very toy-like appearance. Just don't like the look of it.

76898 Jaguar iPace

2020, 290pc

Lol... what is this? Super awkward proportions; much too tall, too long, those tiny tiny wheels way down there underneath all that height. Also mostly a really tedious build experience.

• You have got to be kidding me with all this plate-stacking. So tedious... All I could do to not give up and bail on the build.
  
• Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it was time for more layers of giant bricks and plates... feels like a nightmare built from Duplo. Cannot wait for this to be over.
  
• Could try to soft-pedal a bit here and say this just wasn't very good - someone obviously put some work into it - but... it was genuinely awful.
  
• Nose build is interesting. I love the trapezoidal clip-flag part, inverted fender and drop-in structure for the grill.
  
• Overall result looks dumb. Not sure any mods are worth the trouble to try to fix this one.
  
• Nose-build concept is cool tho... *I scratch-built a time-attack car instead.

76904 Mopar

2021, 627pc
Not interested. No use for the dragster parts. Purple bits sort of interesting, but not keen on another boxy 70's Dodge muscle car (tho it looks like a fine build... might have to try a build from spare parts)

76896 Nissan GT-R NISMO

2020, 298pc Not interested: ugly build, ugly livery, no special parts.

So it's been an interesting and rapid evolution from the fairly basic early eight-wide models which carried over some of the annoyances of the previous six-wide sets (such as color vomit and arbitrarily fussy builds) to the vastly-improved build experiences of the more recent series. Structures and techniques with a more advanced Creator Expert approach has put some of the latest sets to my top all-time-favorite Lego products. I'm very excited for what will come next. Get the latest series models now and try to score a few of the previous ones why they're still available. Hit that sweet spot and you're sure to enjoy the build and the finished result.