The LEGO Creator car lineup is full of iconic vehicles. Whether it's the charm and nostalgia of the VW Beetle or the smooth and sophisticated Aston Martin DB5, there is something for most people to enjoy. However, there was something that was missing...
Muscle cars are an iconic part of automotive history. These petrol-guzzling, supercharged machines have a distinct place in the vehicular pantheon, with passionate fans all over the globe stemming from the 60s and 70s.
Up until now, the LEGO Creator Expert series lacked a representative for the muscle car genre, that is up until now.
Introducing the Ford Mustang GT (10265) released on the 19th of March, 2019.
When the initial box art hit the usual social media sources, it wasn't hard to fall in love with the aesthetics. With its masculine 1960s lines intact, and dark-blue bodywork with white racing stripes, the LEGO model is a beast!
LEGO's product description avoids mentioning exactly which Ford Mustang this model is meant to replicate (car fans, after all, can be very particular about these things), but all signs seem to point to the 1967 Fastback version.
When compared side to side to the real thing, it was difficult to fault LEGO for what seems to be an extremely faithful rendition of this iconic muscle car classic.
The LEGO Creator Expert model clocks in at respectable 1,471 pieces. More than enough to occupy you for an evening and give you two unique versions of the roadster, including a stock and supercharged option.
When holding the box in your hands, it's hard not to get the 1969 rock classic, "Born To Be Wild - by Steppenwolf", playing in your head. You feel like you want to wrap a bandana on your head and hit the road! The model is just that cool!
Unfortunately for this writer, he doesn't have a car and takes public transport to get around, so building the LEGO set will have to do!
So let's take a look at what's inside the box.
Emptying the contents, you will find 11 individual bags numbered from 1 to 6, along with the instruction manual and the dreaded sticker sheet (whhhyyy?!!!).
*ahem*
But don't let the presence of sticker sheet perturb you. Despite 18 stickers being present in this set, which is mainly license plate variants, the set comes with 28 printed pieces overall - which are mainly chassis pieces. Not a bad ratio!
Additionally, for those that want a bit more information regarding the Ford Mustang GT, there are 8 pages dedicated to the history of the vehicle, including insights behind the logo and the colourways the vehicle was available in. All pretty neat stuff if you're a car aficionado or simply interested in the vehicle's background.
There is also a bio piece on the lead designer Mike Psiaki, who was also in charge of the designs for the Aston Martin DB5, Volkswagen Beetle, Downtown Diner and Carousel!
So how is the build?
As with a lot of the Creator Series vehicles these days (or larger sets in general), the initial build starts off with a Technic based framework.
But the main point of difference between the Ford Mustang build and past Creator Expert vehicles is the introduction of an actual steering mechanism. Technic fans will be accustomised to this, but it's not something we've seen in the Creator lineup until now.
The steering system relies on a 40-tooth gear placed at the front of the framework. This is a relatively large piece given the space to work with, but LEGO has done a great job concealing the gear piece.
Another really neat feature is the presence of smaller gear pieces that allow you to elevate or lower the car's rear suspension - and this is only just the beginning of the car's poseable features and customisation!
The next part of the build is the doors. The doors are worth mentioning because they use an interesting double-hinge technique. The added friction between bricks gives a nice firm action that results in a smooth open and close feel once everything is built. We also want to mention that doors play a pivotal role in our latest Light My Bricks feature which we'll go into further detail later on in this blog entry.
Next up is the V8 engine, which sadly, unlike the Aston Martin DB5, is built into the frame and is not removable. Although not entirely accurate, the engine build is a decent representation of the real thing.
The next stage is the chassis. This is where things start getting really exciting, as you can start to make out the iconic vehicle's design. It doesn't take long for the full form to take realisation, because once you're at this stage, it's a pretty quick build from here on out.
The final product is a thing of marvel. Built to approximately 1/13 scale, you would hard pressed to find someone of appropriate age that couldn't instantly this vehicle somehow - even if they weren't a motorhead.
As we hinted, there are a number of poseable options for this model. These include features such as functional doors, front and rear hoods, removable roof for internal cabin access, supercharger option, raised suspension, front splitter, rear spoiler and nitrous oxide tank... *phew*, that's quite the list!
Overall, this is perhaps THE best LEGO Creator vehicle released. There are so many options that will keep car enthusiasts entertained, to the point where you'll never get bored. Want to see it in its original form? No problem. Want to see it in beast mode another day? You bet!
For anyone that is into the LEGO Creator Vehicle lineup, this is an absolute must-have! And for those that are into cars, or the Ford Mustang GT in particular, you can't go wrong with this incredible release.
Adding lights to the Ford Mustang GT LEGO set
You might be thinking that the lighting journey for the Ford Mustang GT LEGO set wouldn't be all too interesting.
Like most of LEGO's cars or most cars for that matter, they have front and rear headlights and inner cabin lights. Pretty simple stuff.
And if you guessed that's how we would approach the release of the Ford Mustang, you would be correct.
There aren't a lot of unique lighting opportunities for cars and there is only so much we can add in terms of lighting before it breaks the sense of realism. So when LEGO released the Ford Mustang GT set, we challenged ourselves to create something special, rather than pump out another ordinary light kit.
Light My Bricks customers are used to a high level of detail and quality from our products and we didn't want to disappoint our legions of fans.
That's why we were so excited when we developed our latest lighting feature.
To create a greater sense of realism, interactivity and playability with your Ford Mustang GT set, we have developed a custom made switch that can activate the inner cabin light when the passenger doors are opened!
That's right, just like the real thing!
Open the door. Light goes on. Close the door. Light goes off!
Creating this light switch completely changes the rules for lighting up LEGO cars, and we're proud to say that Light My Bricks has the best lighting system for LEGO sets.
For those that have the Ford Mustang GT, you're in for a treat. Your muscle car model will look amazing and be highly interactive!
For a peek at the end result, check out our product demonstration video below.
The Ford Mustang GT (10265) LEGO light kit by Light My Bricks is available online now and through our reseller partners.