REVIEW - 42126 - FORD F-150 RAPTOR

INTRODUCTION

My third review this year will be the 42126 - Ford Raptor. I am somewhat indifferent when it comes to this car. When I first saw the pictures of this set, I was enthusiastic about the design. On the other hand; this isn't a model I have been waiting for for years. I don't have high expectations when it comes to the building experience or features. It's a car and it will have steering and suspension. That will be probably be it. It does make you wonder why this is an 18+ set. Does this mean that TLG markets this set as a display piece?! 

For this review I have used a black backdrop, just like the Porsche review. Black backdrops are very hard to work with. Scratches appear almost instantly and pictures turn out grey. In order to hide the scratches I had to do lots of editing. The pictures turned out a bit too dark, so apologies for the quality. Not too happy with it. This is the last time I used a black backdrop. I will try out a blue backdrop for the Nou Camp stadium, but for Technic I will most likely stick to good old boring grey.

Let's start building and find out if there is more to it than meets the eye.

PICTURES
Pictures can be clicked to view hi-res versions. My Flickr album contains all the photos taken for this review.

DISCLAIMER
The CEE Team of TLG has provided this set. It's not my goal to promote this set. It's my goal to give you an honest opinion about it. Therefore, the opinion in this review is my own and is in no way linked to TLG.

SET INFORMATION

Number: 42126
Title: Ford F-150 Raptor
Theme: Technic
Released: 2021
Part Count: 1379
Box Dimensions: 47,5 cm x 28,0 x 11,5 cm
Weight: 1922 gram
Set Price (RRP): £129.99 / $99.99 / €139.99
Price per Part: £0.094 / $0.073 / €0,102
Links: Brickset, Bricklink

THE BOX

The dimensions of the box are rather odd. It's a kinda small, but thick box. If I recall correctly, the boxes this size usually have less depth. I do like these dimensions. It does feel like you are holding a proper set. Maybe that's an 18+ consideration as well. Wouldn't be surprised if that has something to do with it.

The front shows the Raptor. No rugged terrain or other spectacular backdrop, just black. I do like black and orange so this works for me.

The back shows a comparison between the real car and the LEGO model, along with some specifications.

CONTENTS OF THE BOX

The box contains:

• 1x Instruction booklet
• 1x Unusable damaged sticker sheet
• 1x Unnumbered bag
• 7x Numbered bag

INSTRUCTION BOOKLET
Besides the instructions and the part list, the booklet contains a couple of pages with interesting information.

Two pages with all the generations.

Like LEGO's famous "Only the best is good enough" motto, Henry Ford has an interesting quote about quality as well.

STICKER SHEET
While we are at the subject of quality, the sticker sheet is an interesting example of doing it wrong when nobody (or everybody?) is watching. It's kinda funny that I didn't apply the stickers to the models of the two previous reviews. Since this model does need the stickers to give it its Ford Raptor looks, I decided to apply the sticker for this review. However, when I opened the box, I found the sticker sheet folded at the bottom of the box. 

I can use most of the stickers, but the two most important ones are hardly usable without seeing the folding line. One of the stickers is even damaged by the fold. I am very disappointed that TLG markets this set as an 18+ set, but they don't feel the need to provide a sealed instruction booklet with sticker sheet. Why is this still happening?! Paying 139 euro to get a folded sticker sheet. I mean....seriously?!

Obsviously, I will contact customer support and get a new sticker sheet, but that will probably take some time. So, you will get a stickerless Ford.

BAGS
Seven numbered bags.

        

HIGHLIGHTED PARTS

This chapter highlights the new and interesting parts.

ORANGE 13x2x5 ARCHED MUDGUARD STRAIGHT TOP
This is the same mudguard panel as the one used in the Ferrari, appearing for the first time in orange. It appears unprinted and printed with the raptor sign.

BLACK 13x2x5 ARCHED MUDGUARD HALF CIRCLE
This set also features the half circle mudguard attachment used in the Ferrari. This time in black instead of red.

BLACK TIRE 75.1 x 28 SPIKY TREAD
The spiky tread tires which are relatively new and only used in the 42124 - Off-Road Buggy from earlier this year (2021).

PERPENDICULAR LIFTARMS (PLIFTARMS)
The new perpendicular liftarm in lenghts 15 and 11, also seen in my previous two reviews.

STEERING WHEEL
For me the first time I see this steering wheel, but it appeared in four sets recently.

ORANGE PANELS
The 3x7 panel making its appearance in orange.

11x3 TECHNIC PANEL
Strange enough, this panel (left and right) has never been released in orange before. Fans of orange can now complete their MOC.

2x3 CURVED PANEL
This part appeared in five colors in 2021 and orange is the sixth color.

 

11x7 FRAME
Apparently, there were a lot of white frames in stock after using them in the Liebherr (and three other sets).

LIFTARM THIN 1x7
The red version of this thin liftarm re-appeared in the Ferrari this year, but it was relatively rare before that.

LIGHT BLUISH GREY 2x3 LIFTARM PANEL
A new 2021 part appearing in light bluish grey.

PART LIST

The entire part list for all 1379 parts.

THE BUILD

The build consists of 3 steps:

• Front suspension (and some of the chassis)
• Rear suspension (and some of the chassis)
• The bodywork

The front suspension is more or less what I expected. Not a very surprising setup. The independent front suspension uses the yellow hard springs.

One might expect a V8 engine, but the real world Ford Raptor is acutally a 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6. If I am not mistaken, a V8 will appear later this year.

The end of the first step is shown below. I expected the 2x4 grey liftarm (connected to the suspension) to be attached to, what I dubbed, the pliftarm (perpendicular liftarm). Strangely, the liftarms won't be connected, so there is some slack.

Here's the bottom view of the chassis after the first step. The build is what you would expect from a car chassis.

The second step continues with the rear suspension, which consists of a live axle using the grey softer springs. I do like the use of blue parts to accentuate the attachment points.

After attaching the live axle, the chassis is starting to take shape.

The front bumper and some of the hood bodywork mark the end of the second step. The build is okay so far. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it's car, so what can you expect. I wasn't expecting a very exciting build and so far my expectations are met. 

The same stage from a different angle.

The following pictures are way too dark. Sorry for that. This model is one of the few (or only?) car with both front and rear doors. There are probaly more models with rear doors, but I can't seem to remeber one of them.

Both the rear and front door attached.

Obviously, both doors can be opened and closed manually. The simple mechanism is okay and quite sturdy. Both doors have two attachment/hinge points which results in very little slack.

The front (unprinted) fenders and the hood are attached to the model. Since my sticker was ruined, the front doesn't show the grill. Even though I haven't used the stickers in my previous reviews, I am not opposed to stickers. I don't hate stickers, like lots of other AFOLs. I do mind that stickers are used for headlights and tail lights.

The back of the car is actually the most interesting part. The bed is constructed as a separate assembly and it slides into the rear of the chassis.

After attaching the bed with pins, it fits snugly.

The mechanism to open the bed is using tow balls which is quite neat and works like a charm.

These tires are a welcome addition to the entire range of tires. Are these tires the best match for this car? I am not sure about that, but I don't really know any better alternatives. And since I don't own the RC car, I am happy that these tires are used in another set.

COMPLETED MODEL

At the top of the cabin you can find the HoG (Hand of God) steering. The gear is removable, which is quite a nice feature. It provides playability and displayability (I had to look it up, but this seems to be an actual word). This feature should be implemented more often, because a Technic car without HoG is flawed in my book.

I do like the design of the front windshield (the A pillars to be more precise). The B and C pillars not so much. The use of system parts feels out of place.

Like the headlights, the tail lights are stickered. I would have preferred transparent slopes as tail lights. For me, stickers can be used to add some details, but they shouldn't be used to represent parts which can be build using actual parts. I am pretty sure Ford had a say in this and I know you can't get all the details without stickers, but it still feels as a cop out to use stickers for crucial parts.

Apart from the system parts, the side of the car looks okay. The black mudguard pieces sure add a lot of details. They are very useful and look great. Thumbs up for these parts.

The mandatory bottom view, which reveals the bottom of the chassis. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a single rear differential. No AWD/4WD like the real car. 

Unlike most normal trucks, which feature a 4WD mode that locks both axles together, the Raptor's "4 Auto" mode uses a wet multi-plate clutch to distribute power between the front and rear axles as traction demands, just like an all-wheel drive system. So it allows for slip, even on pavement, meaning you can drive it anywhere without the binding and strange behavior of a locked 4WD system.

Of course, you can still put the Raptor into true 4WD by selecting "4Hi" or "4Lo," which lock the axles together in the traditional sense. So in essence, the Raptor features both 4WD and AWD.

This was too complex for this car, so they decided to stick to RWD? I know this is LEGO and there are limitations, but wasn't it possible to make it AWD and/or 4WD to add some technical complexity to car?

It does look okay, even without the stickers. And like I said earlier; I am a sucker for orange and black.

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

The car implements the expected (manual) features:

• Opening/closing hood
• Opening/closing bed
• Opening/closing front and rear doors
• Independent front suspension
• Live rear axle
• Working fake engine
• HoG steering (which is detachable)
• RWD

The only surprise is the detachable HoG steering. And possibly the lack of AWD/4WD in a negative sense.

SUMMARY

Writing this review wasn't very exciting and to be honest; the review feels a bit boring. But I simply cannot be more enthusiastic about this set. Is this a bad set? Not at all. I do like it, like most LEGO models. But this set doesn't bring a lot of excitement to the table. It is what it is. Usually I say "nothing more, nothing less" but this feels like "nothing more and a bit less" or "a bit more and a bit less" if you count the detachable HoG steering combined with the lack of AWD/4WD.

One thing I'd like to address is the price of the set. The set is sold in the US for 99 bucks while it's 139 euro here in Europe. That is a huge difference. 99 USD seems like a fair price, while 139 feels too expensive for such a simple set. On the other hand; the Porsche 42096 was only 10 euros more expensive, having around 200 more pieces. While it falls in the same price range, the Porsche felt like a much more mature and complete set. Given the price of the Porsche I cannot conclude that the Ford is expensive in Europe, I need to conclude that it's cheap in the US. 

At the beginning of the review I mentioned this set being 18+. We are at the end of the review and I am still wondering why it's 18+. There is no legitimate reason for this set being 18+, other than that TLG treats this set as a display piece. In my opinion a Technic set should never be regarded as a display piece. I am willing to make an exception for the "UCS" supercars, but a common car like this one should be playable and not considered a display piece. Admittedly, the black 18+ background of the box does look great, but that should not be the reason to mark a set 18+. I am not sure where this is going and I'm not sure whether I like this development. Time will tell.

Designating this set 18+ and thus (my conclusion) being a display piece, stickers are used instead of actually LEGO parts. At the same time AWD/4WD is omitted. I would rather omit the stickers and implement a proper drivetrain.

So, what is my final verdict? To be honest; I am not entirely sure. I don't mind having simple cars in the Technic product line, but I did like the 42039 and 42077 better than this model. I would probably buy this set to add it to my collection, but definitely not for 139 euro. I would wait to pick it up with a discount.

PROS

• The car is easily recognizable as a Ford Raptor (even without stickers)
• Black orange color scheme makes the model pop
• Black mudguard pieces add a lot of detail
• Detachable HoG steering
• Tow ball mechanism is nice

CONS

• Unprotected sticker sheet
• Stickers mandatory for headlights and tail lights
• No AWD/4WD
• Strange price difference between continents

SCORE

How do I rate this set?

7 DESIGN

Looks okay, but nothing special.

7 BUILDING EXPERIENCE 

Build was okay, but nothing special.

6 FEATURES

No working steering wheel or AWD/4WD.

7 PLAYABILITY 

HoG at least provides some playability for an 18+ display model.

7 PARTS 

Quite a few new/recolored panels and new-ish tires.

7 VALUE FOR MONEY 

Depends whether you live in the US or Europe.

6,8 NOTHING SPECIAL

Thanks you for reading this review. All pictures can be found here.