Lego Technic season 2007 Supercar

Yesterday I built this.

A lovely Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

Its inner chasis isn’t as intricate as last season’s Enzo which I built some months ago, but the cross-bracing is just as good, if not slightly more efficient, giving the Fiorano an overall lighter frame. Also a little complication in the Enzo came from the bracing around the air-cylinders that lift the gull-wing doors.
Like the Enzo, this model also lacks suspension but is forgivable given the overall low to the ground look. The engine-block is standard fare for Technic, but no matter how many times I build one, I always enjoy it, especially the larger V12 motors. Also standard is the rear diff and rack and pinion steering, though as per almost all of the new models, the cabin steering wheel isn’t connected to the axle and is merely for show, a bit of a disappointment given that one or two of the Technic Supercars from years ago actually connected the rack to both the play-axle and the cabin axle, but nevertheless the thing steers, which is good.

The most noticable improvement with the Fiorano is the appearance.
Classically Technic models don’t have much emphasis on external appearance, and for good reason too – it’s usually so that the working features can be easily seen, but the Fiorano actually creates an amazing sense of line and shape.

Just look at that profile.
The front and rear bumpers look fantastic, and the lines across the doors and cabin frame are the best in any Technic model ever. Much of the external chassis is simple, but it’s just extremely clever in how it’s built, moreso than the Enzo which was already fairly decent itself. Usually building the external chassis is simply a finishing touch, but I actually enjoyed putting each piece of the frame in place and seeing how the overall look of the car was built. The doors aren’t just simple hinges, they actually have a bracing bracket just like a real car which is just another little delight in the detail.

There are actually two Supercars this season, the other a Ferrari F1, though it’s more-or-less the same inner-frame as the Silver Champion that I built several seasons ago, albeit with the newer studless struts and a cosmetic overhall, but I love building Technic so much that I may just get it, though finding room for it may be just a little bit of a problem.

Technic is cool, it’s the next natural evolutionary step up from Lego. If you’ve never built a decent kit before, I heartily encourage you to. It isn’t at all difficult and it gives simple joys each time you complete these tiny piecemeal steps that end up building something big.

Plus it’s just plain cool.