Four questions we need answering about the new LEGO Speed Champions sets
Fresh images of the LEGO Speed Champions August 2024 sets have shown off new details on the first six-wide remakes – but have also left us with plenty of questions…
Each new wave of LEGO Speed Champions sets brings something new to the table, whether in subject matter or design. The August 2024 wave, for example, is the first time the LEGO Group has revisited six-stud-wide cars in its revamped eight-wide scale, across both 76934 Ferrari F40 and 76935 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
A European retailer has now published more images of both cars, giving us a better idea of what to expect when they hit shelves in August. But they’ve also raised new questions around these sets and the wider direction of LEGO Speed Champions – some of which will be answered when we get our hands on them, and some of which are likely to remain a little more mysterious…
Why is the Ferrari F40’s spoiler so thicc?
There are a couple of puzzling proportions across both of these cars, likely mostly explained by the need to ensure structural stability and a pleasant building experience across official releases (compared to custom builds). But one area that seems off without any obvious explanation is 76934 Ferrari F40’s spoiler, which is two plates deep rather than one.
The six-wide LEGO Speed Champions Ferrari F40’s spoiler was only one plate deep, so you could argue that it’s doubled in size here to better communicate the increase in scale. But with one eye on the real-life car, a slightly skinnier spoiler would still have looked the part.
Where are the Goodyear tyres?
Like plenty of other LEGO Speed Champions cars, 76935 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is covered in stickers – several of which include NASCAR or Camaro branding. That continues on to the printing on the wheels, which reads ‘Chevrolet Camaro’. But take a look at any images of the real-life NASCAR racer, and you’ll see those tyres should ideally carry Goodyear branding instead.
There’s a pretty obvious answer to this one, which is that the LEGO Group couldn’t or didn’t want to introduce another licence into the mix for this set – but 76919 2023 McLaren Formula 1 Race Car includes accurate sponsor stickers for the likes of Google Chrome and DeWalt, along with printed Pirelli tyres, so the absence of Goodyear here feels strange.
What’s going on with the F40’s rear end?
This is one that will certainly be answered when we build 76934 Ferrari F40 for ourselves, but is pretty difficult to determine right now: what’s going on with the back end of the car? We’re having trouble figuring out the specific techniques used for both the orange tail lights and the exhaust from these images alone.
The simplest answer is that they’re both prints, but they could also be new pieces, or a configuration of elements we can’t quite fathom at this stage. For now, theories on the back of a postcard (or just in the comments), please.
What’s going on with the ZL1’s colour scheme?
Maybe the most puzzling part of these two sets is the colour scheme the LEGO Speed Champions team has chosen for 76935 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It doesn’t appear to be inspired by the livery on any real-life race car, and is instead a paint job of the LEGO Group’s own making. And it’s… erm… unique?
It’s certainly the brightest livery we’ve seen from the theme in a while, but it isn’t proving particularly popular among NASCAR fans online. Why the LEGO Group didn’t go with a more conventional paint job to better reflect the real-life car is anyone’s guess, but like the Goodyear tyres, this is really more a question of consistency across the entire LEGO Speed Champions line-up given other cars have gone to great lengths to recreate the liveries of their inspiration.
76934 Ferrari F40 and 76935 NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will both be available to buy from LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores from August 1. Look out for confirmation of their pricing once they hit the official online store.
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Rear lights of F40 are Tile Round 1×1 with printed dots in the center.
the tail lights are unprinted transparent tiles placed over a 1×2 rounded plate with hollow studs, through which a pair of bar connections have been placed for that realistic look. the exhaust is the technique described in the comment above, but I think they’re placed on a 1×2 plate with handle. very nice.
so I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on at the rear end of the Ferrari of 40, the exhaust is made of a very compact assembly, where they’ve used three clip pieces with with bar holes, and connected them onto a singular bar, so that they’re all very close together, and fit into a two-stud wide format. and after taking a closer look, I’m pretty sure that the orange tail light is just a printed tile. I’m excited to pick up both of these sets. although I do wish that’s the Camaro had printed Goodyear tires, especially since we got the new slick tires that would be perfect for the job. anyway, thanks for making these articles, I love reading these each time a new one comes out! keep up the good work!