To celebrate the release of the new Land Rover Defender, LEGO has unveiled its own Technic version of the off-roader at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2,573-piece LEGO Technic vehicle echoes New Defender with a host of realistic elements and functions, including authentic body panels and rims, four-wheel drive with three differentials, fully independent suspension, a working winch and LEGO Technic’s most sophisticated gearbox yet – all designed to provide an engrossing and rewarding building experience for car lovers and LEGO fans alike.
“With every LEGO element, children can build anything they can imagine,” said Niels Henrik Horsted, Marketing Director at the LEGO Group. “I’m very excited about this new model – a truly impressive job done by our LEGO designers. Together with Land Rover, we’ve blended elements, design and innovative engineering into a set that shows the boundless creativity of LEGO play, and that with LEGO Technic you can build for real.”
“The Land Rover Defender and LEGO brand are both iconic across the world, and the launch of New Defender felt like the perfect time to bring them together,” adds Joe Sinclair, Director of Branded Goods and Licensing at Jaguar Land Rover. “The level of detail and engineering that has gone into creating this LEGO model perfectly reflects the work of our own designers and engineers who have been so dedicated to bringing a motoring icon back for the 21st century.”
Opening doors allow access to the model’s elaborate cabin with its working steering wheel and detailed dashboard. A new transmission system has two levers for engaging high or low ratios and a selector for changing gear – LEGO Technic’s most sophisticated gearbox yet.
You can also fold the rear seat forward to view the four-speed sequential gearbox, lift the bonnet to view the in-line six-cylinder engine with moving pistons and turn the rear-mounted spare wheel to open the rear door.
Reflecting the action-fuelled accessories available for the full-size New Defender, the model is finished with a working winch, removable roof rack with storage box, pannier, ladder and traction mats.
The LEGO Technic Land Rover Defender set will be available globally from 1 October 2019.