Icons

Retro Food Truck

A pocket sized diner on wheels that punches way above its size.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 40681 · 2024

Pieces310

Minifigsn/a

Year2024

Set number40681

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The verdict

I built this one in an evening with a cup of tea going cold beside me, and I kept grinning at how much personality LEGO packed into such a small footprint.

The rounded cab, the little serving window, the tiny menu board, it all reads instantly as a food truck the second you set it down. This was a gift with purchase set rather than a regular retail release, so it is not something you can just walk into a store and buy, and that changes how I recommend it. If you managed to snag one, or you find it secondhand, it is a genuinely charming display piece for anyone who likes the small vehicle side of the Icons lineup.

Best for: Icons collectors who love small vehicle builds and display shelf charm over big minifig scenes

The full review

What it is

The Retro Food Truck is one of those small Icons builds that proves LEGO does not need thousands of pieces to make something with real character. It has that rounded, chrome era diner look, a friendly little serving window, and just enough color blocking to make it pop on a shelf next to the rest of your Icons collection. I found myself building it slowly on purpose because I did not want it to be over so fast, which says a lot about how satisfying the small details are along the way.

The catch

Here is the honest part. This is a gift with purchase set, which means LEGO did not sell it on its own at full retail, it came bundled with qualifying orders for a limited window in 2024. That makes it trickier to get hold of now, and prices on the secondary market swing depending on how badly people want the piece. At 310 pieces it also will not occupy you for long, so if you are hoping for a weekend project, this is not it. Treat it as a bonus treat, not a headline set.

Who it's for

If you already love the small vehicle Icons sets or you are chasing a complete run of the lineup, this one is worth tracking down. If you are new to LEGO and looking for your first big satisfying build, skip this and put your money toward a retail set instead, because you will get a lot more build time and value for the same cash.

The parts story

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

Building it feels like assembling a tiny diorama rather than a vehicle kit. The cab comes together fast using curved slopes and panels to get that bulbous, retro shape, then the back half builds out the serving counter with small printed and patterned elements that carry most of the personality. It is the kind of build where the fun is in noticing how a handful of common pieces get angled and stacked to fake curves that look far more complex than the part count suggests.

The standout here is the print work and the color choices rather than any single exotic new mold. The little signage style tiles and the paneling give the truck its diner charm, and the way the wheels and undercarriage are tucked in keeps the silhouette clean. It will not impress you with rare parts, but it is a nice reminder that clever color blocking and a confident shape can carry a small set a long way.

Fun facts

01The Retro Food Truck was released in 2024 as part of the Icons theme, aimed at fans who enjoy small scale vehicle builds rather than big display models.
02It was distributed as a gift with purchase promotional set rather than sold as a standalone retail item, which is why it can be harder to track down than a normal Icons release.
03At 310 pieces it sits firmly in the quick build category, more of a fun bonus project than a weekend centerpiece.