Review: 42104 Race Truck
Posted by benbacardi,I recently published a review of the first of this year’s pair of small pullback Technic sets, taking a look at 42103 Dragster. That review highlighted some changes to these sets this year; forgoing the combined build in favour of a 2-in-1 model per set instead.
42104 Race Truck is the other of this year’s pair; read on to find out how it stacks up against the dragster and how the two sets fit together in the theme.
The Box and Contents
The artwork on the box features the same race track background as its partner set, with the primary model of a truck speeding through the finish line. The pullback motor functionality is indicated with its logo, as is the 2-in-1 nature of the set. The box is exactly the same size as that of the dragster; with the near-identical packaging it is clear these two sets are intended to go together.
Inside are three unnumbered bags of parts, the instruction manual, the pullback motor, and the sticker sheet shown below. There are thirteen stickers; eight intended for the vehicle and five for the accompanying finish line build.
There are no new parts in the set, but it is nice to see the macaroni piece in metallic silver make an appearance beyond 10262 James Bond Aston Martin DB5. A couple of the body panels and an angled beam are also new in orange.
The Build and Completed Model
The truck comes together quickly, and is built using pretty basic techniques. The pullback motor forms the rear of the truck, topped by a large black spoiler, with the cab and bodywork built up in front of it. Once built, the truck comes across as a little short, and the spoiler looks somewhat out of place. There’s something quite ungainly about the design.
The truck is mostly orange, which was very obvious as the pieces tumbled out of the bag at the beginning of the build! Not only are the panels orange, but a large number of beams and connectors are also orange. The final result (without the stickers) is one very bright truck.
The instruction booklet concludes with the build of a finish line gantry designed to cross the race track. It’s a simple but effective build, and it is just about wide enough for two of the trucks to fit side by side through, but it would be a tight squeeze! As I mention below, this part of the build definitely benefits from the application of the stickers provided.
The one play feature (in addition to the pullback motor) highlighted on the rear of the box is simply the fact that the doors and bonnet can open. Inside, however, there isn’t anything interesting to look at, and as Technic sets unfortunately no longer come with figures, there is little point to being able to open them.
As usual, I built the model without applying any of the stickers; without them, however, the truck does look a little uninspiring. Once applied, the vehicle is definitely more visually appealing, as the large swathes of bright orange are broken up somewhat. It is a shame that stickers are required to add interest, but it is difficult to see how else this could be achieved without a large increase in price due to many printed parts. I suspect younger builders may enjoy the stickers, however; and they are less likely to be so picky about how they are positioned!
My first impression that the truck is rather dumpy is exaggerated when placed next to the dragster from its partner set. I don’t think that you would ever get two such vehicles racing each other in real life (they are, after all, from two very different disciplines), but there is nothing stopping you in LEGO form! As they both use the same pullback motor, they should be relatively well matched.
The Alternative Build
As indicated on the rear of the box, the truck can alternatively be built into what LEGO terms simply a “racer”. In my opinion, it looks somewhat like a Formula 1 car, and is a much more attractive model. It uses fewer parts than the truck, but I think this should have been the primary build in the set!
It’s not often LEGO is criticised for not including a brick separator (I know many people have hundreds of them!), but dismantling a Technic set is one situation where they are a must have! It is a little unfortunate that one is not included with this set, as it is designed to be built and rebuilt into multiple models, and could easily be an entry set for somebody new to LEGO.
There are no additional play features to the car besides the pullback motor, and as the stickers were designed for the truck they unfortunately look upside down on the main bodywork. However, I don’t believe this detracts too much from the vehicle’s aesthetics, and I think the chrome exhaust tubing around the rear tyres looks fantastic. It is also a testament to the amount of thought that clearly goes into the design of each LEGO element that the pullback motor is so easily integrated into such varied designs. It is well hidden here, and helps shape the vehicle nicely.
As the build uses the longer Technic beams as part of the bodywork, the finish line gantry is unfortunately not able to be built the same as in the primary model. Instead, a smaller stand for the chequered flags is constructed, which is a little unstable and more flimsy than the original.
This car also looks more in keeping with the dragster from 42103, and my children have had a lot of fun racing the two against each other across the floor. With the starting lights from the dragster set and the finish line from this one, a full racing experience can be simulated!
Conclusion
Both this set and 42103 Dragster are fun little Technic builds, and would be a great starting point to the theme. I’m glad that they have stopped providing a combined model for the two sets, and inside allowed you to choose from two alternative models in each set to race against each other. The pullback motors are simple but effective, and the fact that they don’t require batteries should be a breath of fresh air for parents who are constantly hunting for spare AAAs in their kitchen drawers!
The primary truck model, although not the one I would have chosen out of the two, does have a certain charm; but in my opinion the racing car is the better, and more realistic, of the two. At £17.99 / $19.99 / 19.99€, these are amongst the cheapest of the Technic line up, and while it means purchasing both, the two sets do complement each other very well. As with all Technic, the connections can sometimes be fiddly, so the age guide of 7+ seems sensible. Once built, however, these sets can provide a lot of entertainment for children of most ages.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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16 comments on this article
One of the better “alternate” builds of all-time!!! Thanks for the review!!!
I love Lego orange.
Which car run the most heats?
The wheels seem to be chosen with the alternative single-seater build in mind. They make the racing truck look a little silly.
I like the alternate build better.
A neat couple of sets. Thank you for the review.
I think you are right that the formula one car should be the main build.
As several has mentioned above, the B model is great, especially considering it's small in technic standards. Finally a year with decent pullback technic sets. Previous once have been lacking, both in design and part count
I bet the formula car and the Dragster's hot rod alt-build would look super rad racing or displayed together. Hopefully someone can give that a shot.
ah, the technic figures. i only have half of one i found in a brick bin and it looks hilarious with little minifigure legs.
I agree about the B model is better that the main one however the stickers ruin it for me. Was it just me who noticed the number '22' is upside down on the B model? I'm not sure how that ever got through Lego quality control and was signed off.
@Marc100 said:
"Was it just me who noticed the number '22' is upside down on the B model?"
Nope, it wasn't just you - I mention it in the review ;)
@Marc100 said:
"I agree about the B model is better that the main one however the stickers ruin it for me. Was it just me who noticed the number '22' is upside down on the B model? I'm not sure how that ever got through Lego quality control and was signed off."
It is simply because that curved panels are attaced upside down and left one goes for right side and right one goes for left side...
Will a minifig fit nicely into any of the builds shown above?
42033 Record Breaker (a superb pullback set) accommodates a minifigure perfectly; it's a lovely feature when Technic sets do that!
Which model is the fastest?
for 23 euros is a very good option with a great second model. just built it
I've build the B-Model, far more interesting.