The Lego Speed Champions line-up grows bigger with the reveal of the Nissan GT-R Nismo, marking the first-ever partnership between Lego and the Japanese automaker. Set to be available globally in January 2020, the themed set is said to be 25% bigger than in previous years, with assembly involving 298 parts.
“The Nissan GT-R and the LEGO brand are both renowned and loved by fans of all ages throughout the world, and we are honored to be the first-ever Japanese car manufacturer to partner with the LEGO Group. Many of our Nissan customers can trace their automotive passion back to when they built LEGO cars as children,” said Asako Hoshino, executive vice president of Nissan.
“With this partnership, everyone can be a `takumi’ – the specialized craftsmen that build the GT-R. And, it’s the GT-R’s 50th anniversary this year, so what better way to celebrate than to share the GT-R with Nissan and LEGO fans around the world!” she added.
“The GT-R has been part of my life since I was 10 years old. Working with the Lego Group was like awakening my inner 10-year-old self to rediscover what makes the GT-R so special to me. It’s amazing how much the Lego Group’s attention to detail reminds me of our own craftsmen,” commented Hiroshi Tamura, Nissan’s chief product specialist for the GT-R – known informally as “Mr. GT-R.”
To go along with the reveal, Nissan also provided a handy (and rather comedic) list of difference between the actual GT-R Nismo and its Lego counterpart. For instance, the development time of the full-size car exceeds 10 years, whereas it is approximately 12 months for the set.
With a normal Lego builder, the Speed Champions set can be fully assembled in about an hour, or 20 minutes for an expert, but it takes about eight hours for the car, plus additional hours for the hand-built engine.
The Lego set’s top speed is limited by how fast you can push it with your hands, but the real car will hit over 315 km/h. Thankfully, the downsized version wins in a few areas, as it weighs less (193 grams vs 1,720 kg), comes with building instructions, is powered by creativity rather than petrol, and has an unlimited range (the car provides around 550 km only). A common ground here is both will provide “endless hours of fun.”
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