JimBricks

REVIEW - 42138 - FORD MUSTANG SHELBY GT500

INTRODUCTION

I have said it two times before, but now I genuinely think this is my last Technic review for this year (combined with the 42137 review). I was surprised to see that this set has a pullback motor, since we will be getting two smaller pullback sets like we do each year. Makes me wonder why this set and the Formula E Porsche have pullback motors. Usually a set this size has steering and some manual other functions like opening doors etc.

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: 42138
Title: Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
Theme: Creator Expert
Released: 2022
Part Count: 544
Box Dimensions: 38,0 cm x 25,7 x 6,7 cm
Weight: 855 gr
Set Price (RRP): €49,99
Price per Part: €0,092
Links: Brickset, Bricklink

THE BOX

The front of the box shows the pullback sign in the upper right corner and that's not something I am very happy about. Why does a car this scale need a pullback motor?

The back of the box shows a kind of launch system, which can be interesting. It also shows the AR (Augmented Reality) Experience. Hopefully this will be available before I finish the review.

CONTENTS OF THE BOX

The box contains:

1x Instruction booklet
1x Sticker sheet (undamaged)
4x Numbered bag

INSTRUCTION BOOKLET

STICKER SHEET

BAGS

HIGHLIGHTED PARTS

This section describes new or interesting parts (possibly in new colors).

TECHNIC, PANEL CAR MUDGUARD ARCHED 9 X 2 X 3 STRAIGHT TOP
This is the first time these panels appear in lime green. I was under the impression that I shot a pic, but I somehow forgot to take one, so I cut one from a later pic.

TECHNIC, PANEL CURVED 11 X 3 WITH 2 PIN HOLES THROUGH PANEL SURFACE
These panels are available in two other sets (one of them is the Sian). I stumbled upon a funny thing when I was looking up these panels. I accidentally searched the one with 10 holes instead of 2. Apparently, these are available on Bricklink, marked as rare. They haven't been released in an official set, so I wonder where those lime panels come from.

PULLBACK MOTOR
This is the first set (together with the Formula E Porsche set from this year) containing not one but two pullback motors.

LIME PANELS

PART LIST

The complete part list for all 544 parts.

THE BUILD

Funny thing is happening at the start of the build. If you take a look at the picture you see two indentations at both ends of the axles. I haven't seen this before. But when you take a closer look at the example you see the indentations perpendicular on the pins, while the building instructions show the indentations in the same direction as the pins. I'm sure this is minor detail, but it caught me eye.

The launch system doesn't use any gears. It's a lever touching a ball joint, which is linked to a rubber connector. So, no gears for the launch system, but more importantly, no steering. Tears are rolling down my cheeks. I can live with the omitted suspension, but leaving out the steering is a major no no in my book.

Instead of mounting a single pullback motor, you will be adding two. This car has 2HP (or rather, 2 PBP) :laugh: It's the first time, two pullback motors are used in a set.

Picture below shows the end of the first stage. I know matching sticker and part colors can be difficult, but I'm pretty sure it would have been possible to use a slightly different shade of green on the stickers to match the bodywork. So far the build is okay, but nothing exciting.

I hereby present the completed model. The parts in the picture are the left-over parts for the second stage. The red lever is detachable and needs to mounted at the back (more on in the features section).

COMPLETED MODEL

The design of the car is very appealing to me. I do like the choice of lime green. And yes, the connectors and stickers are a different shade of green, but I can live with that. In all honesty, the stickers can easily be omitted and you will still have a proper looking car.

Usually I do like the front of a car better than the rear, but this time I absolutely love how the rear of the car worked out. Thumbs up!

FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

Let's talk a bit about the functions and features. Done.

Okay, that's a silly joke. But actually it isn't really a joke at all. This set has one function and that's the launch control for the pullback motors. And the worst thing about the mechanism is that you need to detach a part of the rear bumper to use it.

I appreciate that the lever can be removed to maintain the proper design of the car. But it would have been cool to have a hidden launch control, like pushing down the spoiler.

SUMMARY

To summarize, we get a 50 euro set without any functionality besides the pullback mechanism. On top of that you need to partially take the model apart to use the mechanism. I simply cannot fathom why we need two extra pullback vehicles in the line-up. I'm pretty sure TLG has asked a bunch of kids in a focus group, so this decision will probably be well-founded, but as an AFOL the tears are rolling down my cheeks.

PROS