LEGO Speed Champions 76921 Audi S1 e-tron Quattro: Are we mad for this mad off-roader? [Review]
What do you get if you cross a Group B rally car with one of the craziest car stunt series on the internet, and throw in some LEGO bricks for good measure? Why, the new Speed Champions set 76921 Audi S1 e-tron Quattro, of course! Featuring 274 pieces for US $26.99 | CAN $34.99 | UK £20.99, this mean machine will hit shelves from March 1st. Are you brave enough to get behind the wheel? Hop in and read our review – let’s find out!
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The box and contents
We’re accustomed to seeing roads and racetracks on Speed Champions boxes. But this Audi does things a bit differently. The snowy mountain on the front and back sure do make it stand out! The real car is shown inset in a more sedate environment on the rear.
And then, reader, a momentous occasion! I was pleasantly surprised to find two paper bags in my copy of this set – the first ones I’ve encountered. There’s also a loose chassis piece knocking around.
The 31-decal strong sticker sheet was less pleasant, but equally, not surprising. The instructions are the usual fare: the finished model on a plain white background.
The build
Cracking open bag 1, it seems as though we’ll be building backwards from the rear. To start off with, it’s fairly conventional by the standards of this theme. It feels strange calling a build with so many studs-not-on-top (SNOT) brackets and bricks conventional, but such is the standard that’s been set by this theme!
There are some interesting prints packaged with this Audi. Mainly these are on the sides of plates – there are four of the 1×1 plates with black bar printing in this set. We also get a new 2×2 tapered wedge piece in red. There are two of each side, one pair per bag.
The printed 1×6 tiles are used in the assembly of the rear end, which is attached with clips to some 1×1 bricks with bars. The snowboard – new in dark bluish grey – sits upside down on some minifigure neck brackets.
Moving forwards with bag 2 brings us more sideways building for the cockpit, and one of my personal pet peeves: stickers on a 1×1 tile. Stickers are as much a staple of Speed Champions sets as wheels and tyres, and I don’t normally mind them. But I needed several attempts to get this sticker lined up properly on the 1-stud-square real estate.
Despite its sizeable sticker sheet, there are even more prints waiting for us in this bag. These include the windscreen, hubcaps, and headlights, among others. Many of them are used in the front bumper; another miniature marvel of sideways-studded building.
After that, things motor on fairly quickly as we approach the end of the build. I like the way the wing mirrors are attached. A 1×1 stud with bar sits snugly in a gap created by the wedge slopes and tile on its side that surround it.
The minifigure
Our solitary minifigure looks like he’s had a blast driving his e-tron Quattro! He sports an understated grey racing suit, with printing on extending to the legs…
… And to the back. As usual, he also has a wrench and a plain black crash helmet. Always hoon around safely!
The finished model
The S1 e-tron Quattro, as it’s called, was built by Audi at the behest of the late Ken Block for his Gymkhana series. That goes some way to explaining why it looks so bonkers! Its madness is very well recreated in the brick.
Despite my gripe about the 1×1 stickers, the decals and prints do blend very well together. I normally prefer brick-built headlights to printed or stickered ones – that’s just a personal thing – but I have to admit that these ones look great. I love the printed wheel covers with those red wheels too!
This electric off-roader was inspired by another slightly mad Audi creation, which was one of the first Speed Champs sets to get the 8-wide treatment back in 2020. Putting the new 76921 next to the older 76897 Audi Sport Quattro S1, you can really see the resemblance! They make quite a nice pair together, actually.
Conclusion and recommendation
I said earlier in the review that this build felt fairly conventional by Speed Champions standards; and, by and large, that sort of sums up my feelings about this set. It’s a thoroughly decent build that results in a very faithful model. That might sound like damning with faint praise, but it speaks more to the high standards that this theme has set than anything else. And it must be said that there are some really interesting printed parts included. Therefore, 76921 Audi S1 e-tron Quattro still earns a recommendation from us, particularly if you want to add something a bit different to your LEGO garage!
76921 Audi S1 e-tron Quattro consists of 274 pieces, and will retail for US $26.99 | CAN $34.99 | UK £20.99, with availability starting from the 1st of March.
Check out our full gallery of pics:
The post LEGO Speed Champions 76921 Audi S1 e-tron Quattro: Are we mad for this mad off-roader? [Review] appeared first on The Brothers Brick.
