[REVIEW] 42056 - Porsche 911 GT3 RS

[nerdsforprez]

Jim - Great review. This information is so helpful for each of us to make an informed decision as to whether or not we want to purchase the set. I wish such great reviews were available on all the fun stuff I purchase

About the 16+ issue - Not trying to be overly technical here, but I will offer a theory. Not saying that this is necessarily the reason why TLG placed the 16+ label on the box, for they apparently did not anticipate the issue of which I am about to discuss, but I am saying that perhaps it was a good idea, given the shortcomings of the model. Also, I am not pulling the following out of my butt..... I don't have a cool job like many of you as an engineer or have any technical or mechanical expertise, but I do study brains for a living .

How cool would it be if TLG consulted with some cognitive researchers to establish age guidelines for their models??! Certainly would help them if some lawsuit were to come along suggesting damage was done b/c specified ages were wrong. But to my knowledge, there is none. And personally, I can't think of any literature that would support the encouraged age ranges. However, I will say this.......

Deductive reasoning refers to the cognitive ability of taking a set of rules, facts, or information and deducing solutions or results from that information. You deduce. You start broadly and narrow to a conclusion. Following instructions in LEGO building is very similar. You take rules (instructions), and deduce, based upon what is seen, where they should go. Inductive reasoning is different. It involves taking a conclusion, or answer, but not knowing how that conclusion was arrived at, and hypothesizing how it was achieved. You induce, rather than deduce. Having a set that is not working, you have an end result. But you have to induce, not deduce, or theorize how you can fix it. The solution is not in the instructions. You can't just follow a set of rules to fix it.... you have to make the rules. That is inductive reasoning. I remember the AROCS was kinda that way with the pneumatic tubing. The tubing was horribly jumbled together for the crane, and the instructions actually led one astray. The rules were not the solution. Smart builders had to come up with a solution.... they had to MAKE rules when the rules (instructions) were broke. Inductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a much more developed skill than deductive reasoning and more suitable to older individuals.

I am thinking that building the Porsche might be somewhat similar. Gratefully, I was actually privy to some of the problems that were going on with the model. There was conversation between them and some theorizing. The solutions that Jim, Sariel, and others had to arrive at to solve the gearbox issues were the product of inductive reasoning. They are not in the instructions. These builders had to hypothesize, test, hypothesize again, test, etc. until they arrived at a solution. They arrived at a final solution, albeit faulty, and had to broaden out in how the instructions led them astray. Correct building of the Porsche will likely require such thinking. To be honest, I think most flagship models involve some of this reasoning, but the Porsche, because of its shortcomings, might require more. So... like I said, I don't think that obviously this is the reason for the specified age ranges, but perhaps the categorization is applicable.

[allanp]

Fantastic and very honest review Jim, you have obviously put many hours of work into it and have earned a good holiday .

[nerdsforprez]

There is one thing that I know for certain.. These rims are going to have a date with my chrome guy.. :thumbup:

I'll bet there will be sparks.......

[Alternator]

Could you add a shot of this car in full next to the 24 hr le mans?

Although At $600 nz i'm looking like a pass on this set... I still suspect the model will really impressed in a display line up.

P.s. Thanks for the balanced and thoughtful review, and props for also sticking to the embargo!

[BrickMonkeyMOCs]

Thanks Jim for an outstanding and very detailed review.

...so I was definitely on cloud nice when the set finally arrived.

Typo? :)

Being designed as a coffee table book, it doesn't simply provide the building instructions. It also contains an abundance of historic information about the Porsche 911 and of it's LEGO counterpart's design process. Comments have been made that this book makes the set more expensive, which is debatable. Around 40 pages have been devoted to this additional information, which boils down to around 7% of the book. Maybe I'm simplifying the calculation, but this means this book can't be more than 7% more expensive than regular instructions would have cost.

I have to disagree with this part though. The addition of Porsche information is not the only—or even the main—way in which these instructions seem unnecessarily inflated. From what I've seen there are very few parts added per step, and I suspect fully adequate instructions could have been produced (esp. considering the 16+ tag) at a fraction of the size, even including the additional Porsche info.

[Saberwing40k]

[Warning, Major Technic Bias Ahead! You've been warned.]

Well, there are some thing I can glean from this review, in my opinion.

The Good:

• Looks really nice.
  
• Box is really nice.
  
• Technical Information is welcome.
  
• New kind of gearbox is welcome.
  
• Lots of yummy orange parts.(which will probably cost an arm/leg on Bricklink.)
  

The Bad:(for Technic builders)

• Really limited new parts selection.
  
• Technically uninteresting.
  
• Set claims to be authentic, yet several functions are omitted.
  
• Gearbox is only 4 speed.
  
• Suspension is more or less identical to 42039.
  
• Functions not visible when body is in place/body not removable to show functions.
  
• Instruction book is needlessly thick.
  
• Overpriced.
  
• Overhyped by Lego.
  
• Limited functions, with only one interesting one.
  
• Gearbox does not work reliably. (Seriously, this was in development for 3 flipping years. Also, a non working feature is something Lego normally does not allow. That's one of the reasons why Lego can't do things the way MOCers can.)
  
• Same wobbly hubs.
  
• Offers more or less the same functionality as 42039, but for 3 times the price.
  
• Needless new part. (The fenders probably could have been brick built, but I'm willing to bet money Porsche insisted on having new parts. I also don't like how the wheels are not very generic. However, it does give me hope of Lego doing more wheel/tires sizes in the future.
  

The Ugly:(For collectors)

• Color barf. (Seriously, they do this in no other line. No Technic set, least of all one targeted at this age group should need color coding.)
  
• Rubber bands on shift paddles. (Is there no better spot to put them?)
  
• Stickers on parts that should be printed.
  

My conclusion is that an "Ultimate" set this ain't. It feels like a Creator set, but made of Technic parts. I feel as if we have somebody to blame for this set not being a good Technic set: Porsche. I feel like they insisted on having a set that prioritized looks over all else, and that is not what Technic is about. I feel like Porsche marketing did not really respect what Lego knows about this particular segment of their audience. And so, we have a 42039, in an expensive Porsche suit, with a gearbox that does not work. Something like this should have been a match made in heaven, and shown the best of both brands, with amazing looks AND functionality, but I feel like Porsche railroaded Lego, and we get a compromised Technic set as a result. And, a lot of people say it would have been better as a Creator set, and I'm inclined to agree.

TL;DR

Looks very nice, but lack of functionality means that this is not an "Ultimate" Technic set.

You should buy it if: You are a car/ Porsche fan, but not if you are a Technic fan on a budget. There are other sets that do the Technic thing better.

So wait? We have a Technic set that fails at being a Technic set? More or less. I'm not buying it.

P.S. I can gripe about the set all I want, but the review is excellent, with fantastic photos, and next to no bias. Thank you Jim, you and everybody else who reviews are a true treasure to the Lego community.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Saberwing40k

[Tommy Styrvoky]

Does the shifting mechanism rely on the driving rings to lock into place? As when I was reverse-engineering it, it has no mechanism to prevent it from moving out of position and misaligning the driving rings.

[Alternator]

@Saberwing40k

Those are my feelings too, except that I consider TLG are really the ones with a final say in this, it was them who released this set.

I'm more or less at peace with this set now, and have simply decided it was not targetted at me despite being a technic fan; there are still a lot of people really excited by this model.

Sadly I also have some concerns about the BWE (functionality wise, though this is very much more likely a purchase and my concerns are hopefully not founded), but the other mid to large technic models this year look great :)

Edited June 1, 2016 by Alternator

[BrickFit26]

Everything from the model itself down to the box is so cool.

[Lox Lego]

Great review. I loved how you researched the real car and made comparisons. From the 2 suspension funtions you said were missed, I'd like to try and incorporate that into my next car. Awesome review, thanks!

[Mantarri]

The number one question on everyone's minds: Is it swooshable?

[Kman860]

Jim, thank you so much for the excellent, well written review. I read the entire thing (which I'll admit, I don't always do), great job!

Edited June 1, 2016 by Kman860

[Lego Nerd]

Great review, Jim! I was amazed at the amount of work you put into it

Thanks for answering my question. I may try something at some point. It looks like there should be room for 4WD.

So does it roll in first gear?

[Tomahawker]

Jim,

Thanks again for another “ultimate” review. While the set may disappoint, the review does not. After reading this review and seeing Sariel’s video review, it is truly disappointing that the set doesn’t even come close to living up to the hype both from the speculation as well as Lego’s promotion.

On the one hand I hope this set will be a success because I want Lego to take risks and expand the envelope of what a Technic set can be. On the other hand, I hope this set underachieves, because Lego needs to understand that when it comes to Technic, form should NOT trump function.

[deathman20]

Great review here Jim. I was all out about to get this ASAP... though now I'm a little torn might wait a wee bit for this one and come back to it a little later.

I'm sure that people will come up with good MOC's and MOD's and will push me to get it in the end as I want to expand my collection and I do enjoy cars.

[Nmapladem]

Hello all,

Since one month, I thought I had mistakes during my retro ingénérie before the official release of the set.

My work is based on photos and video found on the internet

I find the same problems that the reviews speak.

My Bricksave for more photo

http://www.bricksafe.com/pages/nmapladem

My Vidéo

Before Fix:

With Moteur :

No Moteur :

After Fix :

With Motor:

Without Motor:

[JGW3000]

This set is clearly intended and designed just for display purposes. The action of the main function, gear shifting, is not even visible, as the engine remains mostly hidden, so that changes in speed of piston movements cannot be seen when pushing the car as gears are shifted. Most of the design effort (but apparently more could have been done) is for appearances only. Even the number of new parts is disappointing, as compared to prior year flagships. My feeling is this is exactly what was intended: form over function. Personally I'd rather have the opposite, hence BWE and maybe tractor for me. Thanks for Jim's (and Sarial's) reviews to illuminate the design intents of this set.

I predict it will sell out day 1, and continue to sell out until several more production runs have been finished. Too many people are enamored of the set ("It's a Porsche!") to care about Technic-specific functions, they won't care that the gears don't shift correctly, but will think having a suitcase is really cool. LEGO does know what they are doing. I only hope they up the game for future Ultimate models.

[jono rocky]

Thanks Jim for your review. Again crisp photos, great detail and adding the real Porsche specs in made for an impressive review. My wife actually read it too and says its a well configured review and he must know his stuff. Now to buy it off Lego and wait a 2-3 weeks for it to turn up. :thumbup:

[John Daniels]

Your reviews never dissapoint, your photos really are amazing! Thanks for giving us a taste of the experience.

[therealjustin]

The review was everything I was hoping it would be Jim, excellent job!

[efferman]

best review ive ever read and a set which screams for modifications. most important to do is the four wheel steering. Counterwise in gear one and two, same direction in gear 3 and 4. mode changed by gearbox

[Blakbird]

Wow, that review kicked megablocks. Not only were the writing and pictures awesome, but don't think I didn't notice the custom banner graphics for each section and even the Porsche emblems for the rating at the end. You really pulled out all the stops. Ultimate indeed.

[Lipko]

After seeing the images, I love the color-vomit even more. The model does look awesome during the building stages.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Lipko

[eldiano]

Awesome build!!! but I never understood by Lego gets away with ten bags of the same number. not that it matters, I just open them all up and dump them all in a table for more of a challenge like the old school days.

[Jetro]

Great review Jim, and excellent pictures!!

One of my main gripes with this set is the fact that you can't really see any of the mechanics in tg set. It has all been very nicely hidden and there is no way to see it in action after finishing the model. And it will have been so easy.

I've made a video to show his, with just a few steps, you can take the bodywork off the chassis to show off the innards.