⌘ K
"A visually attractive Speed Champions set with a genuinely exclusive minifigure and new parts, the F1 Academy car earns its Mixed Reviews BrickScore of 65.7 primarily because $27.99 for 201 pieces is hard to justify when the line has set a higher bar for both parts count and building ingenuity."
Six expert reviewers land in mixed-to-mediocre territory on this 201-piece F1 Academy set, producing a BrickScore of 65.7. The design itself draws genuine praise for its vibrant livery, accurate proportions, and exclusive Esmee Kosterman minifigure, but nearly every reviewer flags the same core problem: $27.99 for 201 pieces is difficult to justify when comparable Speed Champions sets deliver more pieces, more prints, and more building complexity at the same price point. Owner ratings (4.79 average across 125 ratings) are considerably warmer than the expert consensus, suggesting casual buyers and F1 fans are happy with the purchase even if hardcore Speed Champions collectors are not.
Where they split: The clearest split is between expert reviewers (BrickScore 65.7, several recommending skip or wait) and owner buyers (4.79 average). Critics focus on value-for-money and build depth; casual buyers and F1 fans respond to the visual appeal and the exclusive minifigure. Jay's Brick Blog rates it a buy while Rebrickable and JANG lean toward skip, reflecting genuine disagreement on whether the novelty justifies the price.
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"Replicating the real car's complex shaping, crisscrossed in bold colours, can't have been easy."
New Elementary"I genuinely like it. The vibrant colors work, the shapes are clean, the lines flow nicely, it's visually strong."
RacingBrick
"The LEGO F1 Academy car is well-executed at minifigure scale, but very expensive"
Brickset Reviews
"This is actually a Formula 4 car. It should not look like either of these."
JANG's LEGO Reviews
"Perhaps one of the more unexpected announcements last year was that LEGO would be joining the lineup of F1 Academy teams with their LEGO Racing livery."
Jay's Brick Blog
"I'm not thrilled. The model looks like a decent representation of the real life car, but my main attraction to Speed Champions sets is finding clever building tricks, and I haven't found any here."
Rebrickable Reviews"Replicating the real car's complex shaping, crisscrossed in bold colours, can't have been easy."
"I genuinely like it. The vibrant colors work, the shapes are clean, the lines flow nicely, it's visually strong."
"The LEGO F1 Academy car is well-executed at minifigure scale, but very expensive"
"This is actually a Formula 4 car. It should not look like either of these."
"Perhaps one of the more unexpected announcements last year was that LEGO would be joining the lineup of F1 Academy teams with their LEGO Racing livery."
"I'm not thrilled. The model looks like a decent representation of the real life car, but my main attraction to Speed Champions sets is finding clever building tricks, and I haven't found any here."
The F1 Academy Race Car is a well-received Speed Champions addition praised for its bold colors, printed tiles, and smooth build, though a couple of reviewers flag structural fragility and missing hub caps as minor shortcomings.
Amazon4.8Walmart4.8LEGO.com4.6
