Technic

NEOM McLaren Formula E Race Car

A foot of orange and black that actually wants to be pulled back and let go, not just posed on a shelf.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 42169 · 2024

Pieces452

Minifigsn/a

Year2024

Set number42169

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The verdict

This is a Technic set that remembers kids like to play with things, not just build them and stare.

Two pull-back motors send it rocketing across the floor, the steering actually works, and the panel work does a decent job of capturing that low, wide Formula E silhouette. I will say the real car fans among you might wince a bit at how loosely it interprets the actual NEOM McLaren livery up close. If you want a fast weekend build that gets played with immediately after the last brick clicks in, this earns its spot. If you want a faithful scale replica to display, look elsewhere in the Technic lineup first.

Best for: kids and casual Technic fans who want a quick build that actually races across the kitchen floor

The full review

What it is

I love a Technic set that does not take itself too seriously, and this one does not. It is a foot-long orange and black race car with two pull-back motors packed inside, and the second you finish the last panel you are going to want to yank it back and let it fly across the room. The wide, low stance reads as race car from across a room, and the orange panels against the black chassis genuinely pop. There is a small printed Nissan logo tucked on the front spoiler, a nice detail nod to the fact that Nissan actually supplies the powertrain to the real NEOM McLaren Formula E team.

The catch

Here is where I will be straight with you though. Brothers Brick pointed out real differences between this model's proportions and the actual race car, and if you are the kind of fan who knows every curve of the real NEOM McLaren FE chassis, you will probably clock those gaps too. At $49.99 for 452 pieces it is not a bad price, but it is not a steal either, and it is competing directly with other Technic pull-back cars that some reviewers liked better for the same money. It is also not really a set that holds your attention as static display once the racing gets old, it lives or dies on that pull-back function.

Who it's for

Get this one if you have a kid (or you, no judgment) who wants a fast build that turns into an actual toy the moment it is done, especially if there are two of you racing them side by side. Skip it if you are chasing screen-accurate Formula E details or want a Technic set that earns a permanent spot on a shelf rather than a shoe box.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself moves quickly by Technic standards, which is part of the appeal. You are not wrestling with a dense gearbox for hours, you are stacking up a lean chassis, dropping in the two pull-back motor units, and cladding it in those wide orange body panels within a single sitting. It is a good one for a builder who wants the satisfaction of a Technic mechanism without committing an entire weekend to it.

The 452 pieces lean heavily on panel and body pieces to nail that low, wide Formula E profile, plus the mechanical parts for the dual pull-back motors and working steering linkage, which is genuinely more mechanism than you'd expect at this size. The small printed Nissan tile on the front spoiler is the standout detail piece, a nod to the real car's Nissan-supplied powertrain that most builders would otherwise miss.

Fun facts

01The model is based on the 2023-season NEOM McLaren Formula E team car, from the all-electric Formula E racing championship rather than Formula 1
02It carries a printed Nissan logo on the front spoiler, since Nissan supplies the powertrain for McLaren's Formula E entries
03It packs two separate pull-back motors rather than one, letting it be raced against a second copy of itself
04LEGO sold it from March 2024 through the end of 2025 before retiring it, with an original RRP of 49.99 dollars