Hello everyone,

I am very pleased to share this latest LEGO IDEAS 2016 set. This brand new 21307 Caterham Seven 620R is the 14th LEGO IDEAS set since this unique theme started back in 2012. It has been a long while since I ever done a LEGO IDEAS review and the last one was the enjoyable 21108 Ghostbusters in 2014. Special thanks to Eurobricks LUG Ambassador, CopMike and LEGO CEE for giving me this reviewing opportunity. Without further ado, let me show you this exciting sports car model. 

Name: 21307 Caterham Seven 620R
Theme: LEGO IDEAS / Licensed / Sports Car
Year: 2016
Pieces: 771
Minifigs: Nil
Price: USD $79.99, GBP 69.99, EURO 79.99, SGD $149.90
Resources: Brickset, BrickLink

LEGO Official Shop@Home Description said:

Build a display model of the stylish Caterham Seven 620R in LEGO® bricks. Packed with authentic details, it features a removable nose cone, engine and engine cover, and an opening boot containing axle stands. An ideal gift for LEGO fans and car enthusiasts with a love of classic sports cars.

• Features a removable nose cone, engine and engine cover, and an opening boot containing four axle stands.
• Build and display an authentic replica of the Caterham Seven 620R sports car in LEGO® bricks.
• Place the car on the axle stands to remove the wheels like a mechanic.
• Includes a booklet about the LEGO® fan/designer and the Seven 620R.
• This set includes over 770 pieces and offers an age-appropriate building experience for ages 12+.
• Measures over 3” (10cm) high, 11” (28cm) longand 5” (14cm) wide.

To-be-available

An original box image of the 21307 Caterham Seven 620R



Back view of the original box image of the 21307 Caterham Seven 620R


Side view of the original box
Side view of the original box
Bottom view of the original box



The latest LEGO IDEAS feature


This set could only made possible, if is not for Carl Greatrix (bricktrix_Carl) whom have gathered 10,000 supporters on the LEGO IDEAS platform. It was approved by the LEGO Panel and the final product was recently launched on 1 October 2016 worldwide. Through his love and strong interest on Caterham Cars, he designed different variants and models with outstanding fine details. Caterham Cars is a British manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars established in Caterham, Surrey, with their headquarters in Crawley, Sussex, Great Britain. Their current model, the Caterham Seven, originally launched in 1973, is a direct evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman.  The new Caterham Seven 620R features a wide range of performance enhancements. By harnessing the technical prowess, sheer desire, experience and professional team of engineers, this very special and awe-inspiring car was created. 


The content of the sealed box


By slicing the adhesive sealed labels from the box, you are greeting by this sweet welcome. The sealed box come with six mint numbered packs from one to three and an instruction manual. After building the set, these are the remaining spare parts. The pristine instruction manual contains summarised information on the Caterham Seven 620R which include the vehicular design breakdown. 


The entire building content for Packet 1



The completed built for Packet 1


The completed bricks formed the rear base and overall frame of the Caterham Seven 620R. The built is sturdy at this point and the entire length of the car is laid nicely for the remaining two stages to build over it. You can take a few moments to examine the side view and rear view. In this packet, it also start to build the pedals and gears at the driver's seat and the axle holders. 

 

The entire building content for Packet 2

 

The completed built for Packet 2

By opening the next packet, the overall completed built for packet 2 had successfully formed the engine bay, chassis and mudguards for the wheels placement.  You can see a closer look at the front view, back view and side view to see the detailed current building process and we are very near to the end of the building stage. I would also like to mention that this set contain zero stickers and there are quite an extensive of printed parts found in packet 1 and 2 so far. Not exactly sure if there are other fellow builders have encountered this poor quality printed bricks for one 1x2 brick. I am disappointed that the scratches are quite visible upon opening this mint packet. 

 

The entire building content for Packet 3

 

The completed built of the Caterham Seven 620R

We have finally finished building the Caterham Seven 620R. It took me about less than three hours to finish the entire built. I am quite a slow builder, compared to others. It was an enjoyable building process where I am able to see the shape of the car forming bit by bit in stages. I also managed to identify more unique printed parts which excites me greatly. The finished built also appeared to be very sleek and sporty donned in its fashionable iconic yellow paint with black spray which emphasis the contrast. A closer look at the vehicular side that display Caterham, the contour line is slanting towards the front, while the fitting mudguards for the rear and the front are placed nicely. The original design by Carl Greatrix does not contain any form of actual steering. The actual LEGO model is streamlined for moving the sports car in a straight line, typical of most LEGO mainstream vehicles. 

I have also noticed a design flaw of this model, residing the front of the nose cone where it's rather brittle and fall off easily. By removing the front away, you will be able to see the weak connecting link relying on the 2x2 base to hold the relatively heavy nose cone. I wish it can hold tighter with its sparky headlights. A little slight movement and it will just come off and this is considered the weakest link in the finished built. The boot cover can also be removed from the rear to hold the axle holders. By emptying the boot content, you can see the full depth of the boot space. 

Going near to the dashboard of the car, you can see the layout of the controls and instruments and the driver seating comfortably in the carbon-fibre seats which is also able to recline front and back. You can see the dashboard closely from the side view and you may noticed that the dashboard can be adjusted slightly higher and lower, depending on your preference. I got to admit that the closeup of the driver's controls and steering wheel are very nicely laid out. 

 

Front view of the Caterham Seven 620R

 

Side view of the Caterham Seven 620R with the side exit exhaust system

 

Back view of the Caterham Seven 620R

 

Side view of the Caterham Seven 620R

 

Revealing the engine hull cover

The Caterham Seven 620R is powered by an Supercharged 2.0 litre engine with 310 BHP. The built of the engine is very accurate and I like the small surprise of how it can incorporate pistols at the engine wiring and connectors. The smoke can be discharged by the unconventional side exit exhaust system. Without the engine attached, you are able to view the engine holding bay clearing with the sophisticated wiring. The ventilated engine hull cover can be removed and placed conveniently. without dropping off. 

 

The Caterham Seven 620R is ready for inspection

 

You can see the printed ventilated brake discs upon removal of the wheel

 

A scale comparison between Volkswagen T1 Camper Van and Caterham Seven 620R

 

Side by side with the Volkswagen T1 Camper Van

 

WhiteFang and Belun's new ride

To conclude, this set is an above average LEGO IDEAS set. It has a striking and contrasting sporty colour scheme for this fast Caterham Seven 620R. It is based on a real life vehicle model and it does make a fine display piece. Although the overall official design differ quite a fair bit of the original design submission especially on the lack of the steering mechanism, but it does incorporate the iconic details which could allow sports enthusiasts car fans to spot from afar. I love the fact that this entire set contain nil stickers and the unique details are all printed. The engine details is equally outstanding. I do wish the front nose cone could be improved further, but I probably have to fix this on my own. All in all, I am quite pleased with this overall built, amidst of some disappointments. I wonder what do you guys think? 

Please note that all opinions and content shown in this Eurobricks pictorial review is from 'WhiteFang' and is not meant to represent LEGO official views. It is purely stated to share as a vantage point of a reviewer.

Summary review
Playability: 7/10 (It can't play with the rest of the other sets but it will complement very well with other similar LEGO Car Models of that scale.)
Design: 8/10 (Good design, other than front nose cone flaw which I am not too pleased about.)
Price: 6/10 (Price seems quite reasonable and is priced at somewhere mid-tier, but now I know Singapore SRP is on the high side which is very disappointing.)
Overall: 7/10 (Do get this set especially if you are a huge fan of iconic sports cars.)

I gave it a "4" based on my Review Score Card.  What about you?

I hope every one of you enjoyed reading this simple review of mine. Comments and Criticisms are welcomed.
Pictures can be found in My Flickr.

Great review, as always by Whitefang, but I really don't understand the appeal of this set one bit.

Good review mate, kinda shocked by them doing this as an Ideas set I agree with Hive on this in regards to lack of appeal. I love all the idea sets, have almost collected them all, I will grab this also but its more of a reluctant purchase sadly, Cant wait for the Beatles set :D 

 

Ta for the review again :D

Thanks for nice review.

Granted, I did not buy mine yet, (I will) I really like real Lotus 7 and its descendant Caterhams. So this is kind of WOW set regardless its qualities of faults for me.

ad previous comments: It is a cult car, with great appeal to its audience and maybe specific, but very loyal fanbase and owners base, ever since its start in 1957! Ever since it was only developed, but initial design and concept proved to be timeless.

I really like what I saw so far, apart from 2 things that pull my eye.

1. this "jump" - real car does not have anything like that - I don't know how, but I will try to modify it somehow.
2. IMO it is the shame there is not more accurate pattern on the tire for sport/track car. Real car has semi-slick cut-out "just to be road legal, almost race" tires. These Lego tires are something for a truck. 

Edited October 11, 20168 yr by J_C

I liked the white version better and I think the price is too high. Especially compared to the Mini Cooper.

so no mention of the black and yellow 2x3 tiles that are new part introduced in this set 

Great review, awesome set!  Being a sports car lover, I think this set is a particularly exciting one amongst the Ideas sets. All the printed goodness is really delightful, too. Additionally, unlike all Creator Expert car models, this one is significantly cheaper than €99.99, yay! 

 

Cool review, thanks. Too bad about the misprinting, scratching on that 1X2 brick.

Thank you for your comments and replies. 

On 10/11/2016 at 3:51 AM, Hive said:

Great review, as always by Whitefang, but I really don't understand the appeal of this set one bit.

There is quite a huge fan base who are interested in LEGO models of that sort, who just like the aesthetic built of it. 

23 hours ago, H3ssian said:

Good review mate, kinda shocked by them doing this as an Ideas set I agree with Hive on this in regards to lack of appeal. I love all the idea sets, have almost collected them all, I will grab this also but its more of a reluctant purchase sadly, Cant wait for the Beatles set :D 

 

Ta for the review again :D

If you are aim to complete this LEGO IDEAS theme, then set must pick up as well. I only choose a few worthy ones to be in my collection, including Ecto 1, BTTF, BBT, Wall-E, Doctor Who and Birds. 

20 hours ago, J_C said:

Thanks for nice review.

Granted, I did not buy mine yet, (I will) I really like real Lotus 7 and its descendant Caterhams. So this is kind of WOW set regardless its qualities of faults for me.

ad previous comments: It is a cult car, with great appeal to its audience and maybe specific, but very loyal fanbase and owners base, ever since its start in 1957! Ever since it was only developed, but initial design and concept proved to be timeless.

I really like what I saw so far, apart from 2 things that pull my eye.

1. this "jump" - real car does not have anything like that - I don't know how, but I will try to modify it somehow.
2. IMO it is the shame there is not more accurate pattern on the tire for sport/track car. Real car has semi-slick cut-out "just to be road legal, almost race" tires. These Lego tires are something for a truck. 

Yes, it's certainly will appeal to those fans who are into this type of sports car. Agreed with your identified points. 

11 hours ago, spanky said:

so no mention of the black and yellow 2x3 tiles that are new part introduced in this set 

I think the content are all existing parts and I don't recall there are any new parts. I could be wrong as I generally not good with new parts identification in a set as I don't build many new sets lately to strike such a comparison. 

2 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

Cool review, thanks. Too bad about the misprinting, scratching on that 1X2 brick.

It was unfortunate and disappointing. Sigh. 

This is definitely a new part...nothing special, but just another new 3x item like the 3x3 plates introduced a couple years back

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=26603#T=C

 

Edited October 12, 20168 yr by spanky

1 hour ago, spanky said:

This is definitely a new part...nothing special, but just another new 3x item like the 3x3 plates introduced a couple years back

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=26603#T=C

 

You are right. I also went ahead and read a detailed review on New Elementary as their reviews are subject matter expert on LEGO parts identification. It's a pretty enriching read. 

A disappointing detail to add, which make the score drop further, is the Singapore SRP, is $149.90. A very upsetting price tag. 

thanks for another nice review.

Actually I am not that bothered by the "flimsy" nose. It is not really a play model anyway, so on display that doesnt matter that much. I actually like it that they tried to put the slanted nose shape in like in the original submission.

Thank you for the review!

I built mine today, and I really enjoyed both the build itself and the finished model. The original submission was a bit better looking, but it's no surprise some adjustments had to be made to turn it into an official set. 

Even if I'm not a car person at all, I find this set much more interesting than a lot of the upcoming LEGO Ideas sets like Adventure Time, Apollo 11 or even The Beatles set.

Reading the comments on the nose I was expecting a much worse connection than mine actually has.  The only time the nose came off on my model was when I lifted the front of the car from under the nose, first making it go horizontal against the hood and only then did the connection come away.  For myself i was more disappointed with the backs of the seats having the gaps on both sides near the top.  As for a flimsy connection, a little more effort could have been put into securing the dashboard than just that single red axle piece.

However, it looks great put together sat next to the Mini and the Camper, especially after not paying full retail ($79.99) price for it.

Let my son play with it, same as i did with the Mini and the Camper, once he realizes how awkward it is for them to turn corners his desire to lay with them is over and he's happy to just look at them on display.  Every once in awhile he might take one down, but as soon as something falls off he tells me, I fix it and he says I can put it back

Great Review!!!

Thanks

Greetings