You Blockhead: LEGO Introduces a Defender 90

There are more than a few gearheads around here – on both sides of the keyboard – who never really grew out of assembling those little bricks from Denmark. Fortunately, the Lego crew recognized this ages ago and began cranking out scale models of popular vehicles. This time around, they’re tackling an instantly recognizable off-road rig.

Some machines lend themselves better than others to having their profile cast in Lego, and the boxy Land Rover Defender definitely fits the bill. The Ferrari F40 kit of a few years ago also looked good, for example, whilst the Porsche 911 effort simply looked pre-crashed. In any event, this kit is celebrating 75 years of the Land Rover brand, this set has an impressive 2,336-piece count which ensures this thing isn’t likely to be fully assembled in a single sitting. It’s a two-in-one type deal, in which the builder can construct a model set for the road or one which looks ready for adventures in Borneo.

Measuring 32 centimeters in length (or about one foot for readers who’ll use anything but the metric system), the model has accessories like a roof rack, raised air intake, front bumper with a working winch, plus side rails and a toolbox. You can bet this author would raid some older Lego sets in his home for scale-sized wrenches to place in that item. Miniature traction plates are on board, imitating the ones hove under the drive wheels of a stuck vehicle. If you’ve ever used ‘em on yer travels, you know how entertaining those things are to deploy. Plus, it looks good on ya when you arrive back at the trail head with your recovery tools showing a bit of use instead of staying pristine and untouched atop the rig.

“Defender is synonymous with adventure and this new LEGO set is a perfect way to capture the spirit of an incomparable, unstoppable automotive icon, whilst also sharing the playful side of the vehicle,” said Paul Barritt, Director of Land Rover Classic. “Bringing the Classic Defender to life in bricks was no easy challenge. Defender can take you anywhere, so during the design process we wanted to infuse the set with that sense of adventure,” said Kurt Kristiansen, LEGO Design Master. “We can’t wait to see the fans' reactions.”

My own reaction is to unholster a credit card and buy one, priced at $239.99, when it goes on sale July 1 of this year.

[Images: Land Rover/Lego]

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