It's been said that good things come to those who wait... and we're thrilled to say the wait for the LEGO Technic Lamborghini Sian FKP 37 light kit is over! Light My Bricks fans have been patiently waiting for months on its release, but as the Italian engineers themselves say - you can't rush perfection!
We heard the question asked over and over again, "where is the Sian light kit?!" or "I've got my supercar built, I want to light it! What gives?" We'll elaborate on the unusually long gap between LEGO set release and light kit release further in this blog post. But as is often the case, it comes down to creating new and exciting components to match the excitement and enthusiasm behind the LEGO set in question, and these things take time.
Ok, one thing that needs to be addressed from the get-go, is that this is a LEGO set like no other. From the sheer complexity of the build, the massive size of the instructional guide, to the detailed design of the packaging, the Lamborghini Sian is a head turner from start to finish.
Let's start by talking about that packaging. Normally we wouldn't stop to mention the box of a LEGO set, perhaps just to note a black box marketed toward an older builder, but then keep it moving right along. I
n the case of the Sian however, we've got to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible package it arrives in. The outer surface is nothing like we've seen in a LEGO set before, as it doesn't feature the build itself but is designed to resemble the chassis of the actual supercar!
Once we cracked the box we discovered 6 individual, smaller boxes that serve both as a nod to the Sian's engine and a sequential step by step guide to the build itself. We saw a similar approach to how the Bugatti Chiron's packaging was designed, but this is on another level.
A quick note on the specs of this set. It's made up of a whopping 3696 pieces, slightly larger than the aforementioned Chiron. Once built it measures over 60cm long and 25cm wide, resulting in a 1:8 scale model. Of course the brilliant lime green colour needs to be mentioned, as it really makes the build stand out no matter where it's displayed or what the environment.
Ok, time to build this bad boy! We're not going to lie, this was an intimidating set to construct, just from looking at images of the inner workings of the mechanics, gearbox and suspension online. Still, no better place to start than the beginning, we cracked open box number one and got to work. Normally we'd have a set built in one or two sittings, but this one took us a full week to complete. Maybe ten full hours all up!
Once we'd finished patting ourselves on the back for our efforts on the build, we knew it was really time to roll up the sleeves and light the Lambo.
On first pass, we thought this would be fairly straight forward in terms of lighting and we'd have the kit ready for hungry supercar fans around the world in no time. Headlights, taillights, interior lights and we're done. Wham, bam thank you Sian. Right? Wrong. We initially used standard light bars for the all important Y-shaped headlights, similar to those that we use for minifigure lightsabers. However initial tests left us kind of underwhelmed, they lit up, sure, but they didn't scream Sian the same way that lime green did!
What to do?
Once again as we have in the past, we turned to our trusted manufacturing partners to see what could be done. Was there an alternative way to light these bars? A more powerful method perhaps?
The first prototype upgrade consisted of the original light bar, but instead of a single bit light at the base, this prototype featured several bit lights encased along the length of the bar. While this first pass was certainly and upgrade in terms of brightness, each bit light was visible and exposed inside the bar which just didn't look right when lit. Back to the lighting board.
More discussion and brainstorming with our team followed and soon after we had the next iteration of the head light in our hands. This time the bar itself was completed with a 'frosted' look, the idea to smooth and even out the ambience of the bit lights inside. A case of two steps forward but one step back, the ambient light was indeed a bit more even, but ultimately it was still unbalanced and the bulbs still slightly visible! Strike two!
What to do?
While some other companies may have settled with just a slightly brighter, uneven bar, there was no way we were going to ship a product that we weren't 100% excited to share with the Light My Bricks family.
We returned to the lab once more to solve the problem once and for all, this time starting from scratch. With our design table wiped clean and the clock ticking, the pressure was on.
Questions on the whereabouts of the Light My Bricks Lamborghini Sian light kit had begun to arise from the community and we knew we had to solve the puzzle once and for all.
The answer struck light a bolt of lightning, if all prototypes this far hadn't been bright enough or uneven, why not solve both issues by going overboard! The solution - a whopping total of 64 individual LEDS per bar, precisely 32 each side of an extremely thin circuit board encased in an opaque white tube. The density of the final tube combined with the intensity of all those 64 LEDS finally produced the desired effect. A bar that literally glows with the absolute power of a neon light. The result is truly dazzling. Our team had finally done it.
While the Y-shaped headlights are without a doubt the central focus for which the light kit is built around, from a design point of view, we wanted to balance things out by creating an interesting effect with those taillights as well. Traditionally we would have replaced the solid red plates included in the set with a transplate to let a regular sized bit light shine through. This time around however, we were in a more experimental mood - perhaps buoyed in confidence after solving the riddle of the headlights! So the original solid plates were kept and instead of a regular sized bit light in each of the 12 triangles, a large bit light was placed. The large bit light is not only a much more powerful light, it's more spot light than ambient light, so this means that when encased inside the tail plate, the result is a focused, intense red glow as each large bit light shines through the solid red plastic.
We're proud to have lit the LEGO Lamborghini Sian. It's an incredible example of design, engineering and expertise and these are all qualities that are important to us at Light My Bricks. We like to take our time, problem solve, create new experiences and make sure every aspect of what we do is done to the highest standard. From packaging, to customer service, to the product itself.
We want to thank all members of our enthusiastic community who reached out to us during the development process, to enquire on the Lamborghini Sian light kit's release. It feels good to know we have the support of such a passionate fan base and we love being a part of the LEGO community and being able to deliver the best possible light kits on offer!
The wait for the Light My Bricks Lamborghini Sian light kit is over, will you be lighting your supercar up?