LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 RR Review

The LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 RR is a rather impressive-looking model. It’s the biggest LEGO motorcycle we’ve seen yet, and has a level of complexity reserved for only the biggest Technic sets. But is this mammoth machine worth the asking price? And is it fun to build? Let’s find out, shall we?

What’s in the box?

Inside the huge box of the BMW M 1000 RR you’ll find another box. Yes, it’s one of those box-within-a-box numbers. Empty them all out, though, and you’ll find five sets of numbered bags, with approximately three for each number. Like many larger Technic sets, then, each stage of this build is going to be a meaty one.

There’s a huge instruction booklet, prefaced with some wonderfully illustrated pages showing the real-life bike the set is modelled on, along with information from the designer. The bad news is the sheer amount of stickers you’ll find in this set. Seventy-nine of them, spread over two large sheets. It’s to be expected for the bike’s livery, but still rather disheartening to see quite so many. There’s not a unique printed part in sight, unfortunately.

The build

Putting together LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 R is a rather methodical process. Bag one sees you create most of the engine, and with bag two you’ll finish it off along with creating the stand. Yes, creating the stand so early is a little weird – but it does prove to be useful as you construct the rest of the bike. It isn’t until the end of bag three that the set begins to take shape – at that point it finally looks like a bike as you attach the wheels and axles. Finally, with bags four and five you’ll flesh out the model with its shell and livery, so it’s at this point you’ll apply the majority of those 79 stickers.

I’ve had a lot of fun building the BMW M 1000 R. I’m not quite as familiar with building large Technic sets as I am System-based models, and so this felt like an exciting challenge to take on. Indeed, the process is much more nerve-wracking than a standard LEGO model, largely thanks in part to the mechanisms that exist within the set. While LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 R doesn’t have any power functions, its rear wheel is attached to the engine, which is filled with cogs and systems that all work together to make pistons move up and down. It’s impressive once finished, but the threat of knowing that having just one piece out of place can throw everything off is rather stressful indeed.

The biggest problem is that the instructions for the set are, at times, not very clear at all. This isn’t unique to this set, but something we’ve noticed with many Technic sets – even smaller ones. It’s often not made very clear where a new part needs to go – better instructions with highlighted areas would go a long way to make the process easier. In fact, in the whole 300-odd page instruction book, only one section clearly highlighted, via coloured rings, where two parts needed to join together. This was hugely helpful, but such a shame it’s a practice that was only used once. That particular section was no trickier than any others either.

But once you get your head around the instructions and learn that you’ll need to carefully pay attention in order to correctly connect things, you’ll have fun putting together the LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 R. There’s a huge amount of attention to detail that’s gone into this model, from the chain that connects the wheel to the engine, to the brilliantly-designed exterior. And seeing it come together is a thrill. As I said, you’ll be almost half way through before you can even tell what the finished model is going to be. The amount of pieces that goes into the engine and the centre of the bike is simply astounding, and even though after bag two you’ll be left with nothing but a weird-looking cube, you’ll be darn proud of that weird cube!

Play or display?

One strange thing about this set is that it comes with two stands. There’s the display stand, complete with detail plaque, that you build as part of bag two. The bike sits neatly on top of this, floating above the ground – in my opinion, it’s the best way to display the BMW M 1000 R as it really shows it off. But the last thing you build, as part of bag five, is a white trolley which can support the bike’s rear tyre. It feels a bit superfluous; I’m not sure why LEGO didn’t just choose one and stick with it. For me, it just means I have a random stand that’s never going to get used.

As to answer the question whether LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 R is a better set for play or display, it’s certainly the latter. Yes, moving parts like spinning wheels and pistons that go up and down means that the set has some functionality. But the weight and complexity means it’s not going to be suitable for children to play with, outside of spinning the wheels. This is definitely a set designed to go on display, and it’ll look fantastic on any shelf.

Value for money?

Whether or not you’ll feel that the LEGO Technic 42130 BMW M 1000 R is worth its £174.99 price tag will depend on how much you enjoy building Technic. It took me over 10 hours to put the set together, which I feel is an activity well worth the investment. The finished model, too, looks stunning. It is, however, the same price as the LEGO Technic 42100 Land Rover Defender, despite being more than 500 pieces smaller. And the lack of motorised functionality may put some people off (although that’s something you’d typically expect to pay quite a lot more for). But what you do get is the biggest LEGO motorcycle ever made (so far), and a wonderful set that will catch anyone’s eye when on display.

If you’re a motorbike fan and enjoy putting together Technic sets, it comes highly recommended.

With thanks to LEGO’s PR agency who supplied us with this set for review.