[REVIEW] 42110 - Land Rover Defender

[Jim]

REVIEW - 42110 - LAND ROVER DEFENDER

INTRODUCTION
It has been a while since I reviewed a set. Since there are already a lot of reviews, I will focus on providing clear pictures as you are used to. Lots of discussions have already been going on in the general topic. I won't be going into lots of the details, but I will give you my opinion at the end of the review. For future reviews, I will probably focus on the pictures since the write-up is always very time-consuming. I am still looking into the right balance of bringing useful information versus the time it takes to compose this information. Anyway, I'm rambling.

When you look at the model, you can't help but notice it somehow feels a bit like the 42069 - Extreme Adventure. Part of the reason is that the bodywork has similarities, but another factor is that it also has the signature of Milan all over it. 

For years, AFOLs have been screaming for a new proper supercar. While this is not a supercar, it does seem to pack all the features requested by said AFOLs. So, let's see if this car can be considered the next 8880 - Super Car.

PICTURES
Pictures can be clicked to view hi-res versions. More pictures can be found in my Flickr album.

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: 42110
Title: Land Rover Defender
Theme: Technic
Released: 2019
Part Count: 2573
Box Weight: 3544 gram
Box Dimensions: 57,5 x 47,5 x 8,5 cm
Set Price (RRP): £ 159.99 / $ 199.99 / € 179,99
Price per Part:  £ 0.062 / $ 0.078 / € 0.070
Links: Brickset, Bricklink

THE BOX
The front of the box shows the car in its natural habitat, a rugged terrain.

The back shows all the features, including a cool view of the gearbox. A gearbox that TLG claims to be the most advanced gearbox to date.

 

CONTENTS OF THE BOX
The box contains:

• 1x Instruction manual
• 1x Sticker sheet
• 5x Tire
• 8x Numbered bag in inner box (1 and 4)
• 13x Numbered bag in outer box (2 and 3)

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

STICKER SHEET

TIRES

INNER BOX

NUMBERED BAGS IN INNER BOX

  

    

NUMBERED BAGS IN OUTER BOX

     

     

HIGHLIGHTED PARTS
This section describes unique parts, new parts and/or existing parts in new colors.

RIMS
This set includes five new rims, specially designed for the Land Rover.

Here's a picture comparing the new rim with the standard rim found on the 42039 - 24 Hour Race Car and a lot of other sets.

The new rim has pinholes placed closer to the outside of the rim, resulting in better steering geometry.

FENDERS
New fender parts, which we would love to see in different colors. I wouldn't mind TLG making round ones like these.

SPECIAL PARTS
This set contains a proper collection of dark tan parts (some of them are displayed in the picture below). For the entire list, see the Part List section. It also includes one of the 20 tooth double bevel gears found in the Bugatti.

Of the new parts below, the middle one seems to be rather ordinary, right? Well, it indeed is quite ordinary, but it is quite rare in dark bluish grey. And you get 52 of them.

  

PART LIST
The complete part list.

 

THE BUILD
The build starts with the rear suspension.

This looks like a front suspension setup, but it's not. Part of the gearbox is placed on top of the rear suspension.

The 7L lift arm has an elastic band, pulling back the "lever mechanism". This is used to switch gears sequentially.

Bottom view of the rear suspension, using two red springs.

The front suspension uses one red and one grey spring, which results in slightly softer suspension.

The fake six-cylinder engine sits on top of the front suspension. I have no objection to this kind of engine setup (not using the regular cylinder parts).

This part of the gearbox is mounted between the front seats.

The gearbox has three different "operators":

• The round brick operating the sequential gearbox + and -
• A lever to switch between D-N-R
• A lever to switch between HI-LO 

A lot of discussions have been going on about different modes for the gearbox. Possibly the HI and LO modes should be switched on the sticker, as well as the + and -. If you want to know the details, I can recommend going through this discussion topic, which has a lot of interesting takes on the matter.

From a different angle.

The levers mounted on the gearbox.

The gearbox connected to the front suspension.

The front suspension connected to the rear suspension, more or less completing the chassis.

Viewed from the other side.

Bottom view of the chassis.

Another bottom view.

Side view of the chassis.

The chassis completes the technical part of the build. What remains is the interior and bodywork. The front seats are very well designed. They look like proper comfortable seats. I did mount them incorrectly the first time, which is visible in the picture below.

Here you can see my mistake. The connection with the black pin underneath the chair should be connected to the bottom hole in the bent lift arm.

The seats attached to the chassis. I also mounted the wheels, to test the gearbox.

Part of the bodywork attached to the chassis. At this point, I still hadn't noticed misplacing the seats, but you can see they are positioned way too high.

As much as I like the build, this solution bothers me. This mechanism screams for a KISS approach (keep it simple stupid). It feels way too complicated for a simple task. Additionally, the elastic band is way too loose. It can easily slip off.

The seats have been lowered (i.e. placed properly) to fit the roof.

Another minor gripe I have, are the stickers on the inside of the doors. They are hard to align and they only make the doors look weird when you look at them at an angle. I would have omitted them, or limited them to a single sticker per door, on the panel.

Slowly, the model is turning into an actual Land Rover Defender.

The front of the car can be considered a work of art The iconic front looks astonishing and it turns the model into an actual Land Rover Defender. I will now stand up and make a bow for Milan! Very well done.

To complete the build, you will add a storage box and two plates to get you out of the mud.

COMPLETED MODEL
The completed model looks great. I love the resemblance to the actual Land Rover. This new shade of green makes the model stand out. The downside is that this shade can hardly be used for other models since there's a limited number of different parts available. On the other hand, the mudguard is the only special green part of this set, so it's not that big of a deal.

The passenger side packs another storage box.

Both storage boxes can be opened.

The magnificent front view of the car. The car also packs a winge, which can be operated after opening the bonnet/hood.

The front is more iconic than the back, but it still looks decent enough.

There are foldable stairs mounted to the driver's side, to easily access the roof.

One final image to show the beauty of this car!

B-MODEL
Like most licensed models, this set doesn't have a B-model.

SUMMARY
I love how the design worked out. The front of the car looks amazing. Unmistakeably Land Rover. I also love the chosen color scheme. Of course, it will be hard to use these parts in MOCs, but besides the fenders/mudguards, no unique parts have been used. If TLG releases the fenders in different colors, you can easily build this model in a different color. Using this color adds to the iconic look of the car.

Not too happy with the mechanism to open the rear door with the spare wheel. I find it bulky and unnecessarily complicated. I would have loved a "less is more" approach. What I do like, are the extra details that add some playability to the model. Foldable stairs, openable storage boxes and the two plates that can save the day when you are stuck in the mud.

Steering and suspension both work properly. Unlike the Bugatti, the suspension is spot on. Not too stiff, not too loose. Steering works fine too. It might a bit hard to steer when the model isn't moving, but that's not uncommon for bigger models. The working steering wheel and detachable HoG are two plusses.

One can argue that the gearbox should not be positioned above the rear suspension, or that the Hi-Lo-switch should be reversed, but what's more important, is that the gearbox works like a charm. Besides switching the four gears, it has a mode for high and low gearing and an actual single reverse.

The downside of the intricate gearbox is, that it uses a lot of gears. This results in lots of slack in the drivetrain. Which results in not being able to see the effects the different gears have. In some gears, you need to push the car for a meter or so to be able to see the pistons of the fake engine move. I understand the reason for this slack, but it is something that kind of bothers me.

At the beginning of the review, I wondered whether this car would "tick all the supercar boxes." Proper gearbox? Check. Proper suspension? Check. Proper steering? Check. Working steering wheel? Check. Some other extra-ordinary functions (like ride height adjustment)? Not really. A winch, but that hardly counts. Does the lack of extra function prevent this car from being called a supercar? I honestly don't think so. This is a very well designed car with very well working functionality. This model is most definitely one of the best Technic cars TLG has designed. Hats off to Milan and the design team.

PROS

• Intricate gearbox
• Single reverse gear
• Working steering wheel
• Awesome design
• Proper suspension
• Working winch
• Cool extra details (openable storage boxes)

CONS

• Lots of slack in the drivetrain
• Effects of different gears hard to see
• Multi-part sticker on the inside of the door
• Lack of extra functions like ride-height adjustment (minor con)

SCORE
How do I rate this set?

9 DESIGN

The design is spot on.

9 BUILDING EXPERIENCE 

One of the most entertaining builds in a while.

8 FEATURES

Features work properly, but it misses the one extra killer function.

8 PLAYABILITY 

The added extras add playability to the model.

7 PARTS 

Cool new rims, but the most important new part has a hard to use color.

8 VALUE FOR MONEY 

This set will probably satisfy everyone who builds it. The price is okay for the number of parts.

8,2 ONE OF THE BEST TECHNIC CARS EVER

FINAL WORDS
As a bonus, I have included two images where I have mounted the rims to another car. I just noticed one of the headlights fell off by the way.

[kbalage]

Thanks for the review Jim, photos are gorgeous as always!  

[1gor]

Great review as always 

[Jim]

Thanks guys. Not as elaborate as usual, but I hope readers will enjoy the pictures.

[jorgeopesi]

Thank you Jim, those rims will be mine you never knows when I will do a car and they are the best no doubt.

[delta21]

Thanks Jim, picture is very clear, but I hope you can give more deeply ideas/comments. 

BTW, many Technic set have already released this year, but this time I see only one your review until now.

I wait for 42099, 42100 too.

Edited October 20, 2019 by delta21

[JunkstyleGio]

Fantastic pictures! As usual!

 

[dr_spock]

Thank you for the review.   The new rims are nice.  That storage box still reminds me of a Star Trek coffin. 

 

[Lyichir]

Good review.

FYI the seats are Sand Yellow (Dark Tan on Bricklink), not Medium Nougat.

[The Island Chronicles]

I've never really been a technic guy. But I think that looks amazing. I hope they have plans to make an SC version. That would be awesome. 

[Jim]

10 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

Good review.

FYI the seats are Sand Yellow (Dark Tan on Bricklink), not Medium Nougat.

Thanks! I will rectify it.

48 minutes ago, dr_spock said:

Thank you for the review.   The new rims are nice.  That storage box still reminds me of a Star Trek coffin. 

 

Hehe indeed!

 

 

 

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54 minutes ago, delta21 said:

Thanks Jim, picture is very clear, but I hope you can give more deeply ideas/comments. 

I'm sorry to inform that this is the review. What extra information would you have liked to read?

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, delta21 said:

BTW, many Technic set have already released this year, but this time I see only one your review until now.

I wait for 42099, 42100 too.

I just created a topic where I explain the reason behind this.

[delta21]

1 hour ago, Jim said:

I'm sorry to inform that this is the review. What extra information would you have liked to read?

 

For example, what is advantage of this set gearbox ? compare to Bugatti or Porsche? worth it all ?

This article is short although this set is complex. I think review at Eurobricks should do more technical than video review on youtube, 

IMO , written review do not need fast as soon as set released, but must give for reader as many aspect.

[Jim]

1 minute ago, delta21 said:

For example, what is advantage of this set gearbox ? compare to Bugatti or Porsche? worth it all ?

This article is short although this set is complex. I think review at Eurobricks should do more technical than video review on youtube, 

IMO , written review do not need fast as soon as set released, but must give for reader as many aspect.

I absolutely agree. I have given the reason for this limited review in this topic.

[mpj]

Oh I was missing your beautiful pictures! When I see your review photos, I feel like I want buy parts just because they are beautiful, and not to build something.

By the way, your review comes later than other ones, but it's the first time I see the new wheels applied to other cars. Well done and thank you!

 

[JonathanM]

Absolutely beautiful pictures as per usual Jim. Thanks!

I agree the rear closing mechanism seems too complex - I think Milan wanted it to auto-lock on push which it does with the loose band, but it does seem it could be simplified. My only other complaint about this set are the universal joints in the drive train - but I haven't yet seen a way to do it without that as yet (though I expect something like that will be improved at some point!)

[Cylo]

Great Review Jim! The photos look really good, almost like renders!

[Vectormatic]

Great review @Jim

regarding the "defender wheels on other cars" topic, i understand the wheel is deeper, but by how much? If the wishbone arms could be lengthened by a full stud without seriously impacting the position of the wheel inside the arch, that could indeed make for much better and more realistic steering. I very much like the idea of integrating these wheels into 42096.

[Jim]

 

 

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1 hour ago, vectormatic said:

regarding the "defender wheels on other cars" topic, i understand the wheel is deeper, but by how much? If the wishbone arms could be lengthened by a full stud without seriously impacting the position of the wheel inside the arch, that could indeed make for much better and more realistic steering. I very much like the idea of integrating these wheels into 42096.

I would need to take exact measurement, but I would estimate that a single full stud on each side would do the trick!

[Vectormatic]

33 minutes ago, Jim said:

I would need to take exact measurement, but I would estimate that a single full stud on each side would do the trick! 

Excellent! assuming the clearance is available for the steering rods etc.. this would allow for a turning point much closer to the center of the wheel, and more realistic steering geometry, and will require less overside wheel arches to allow for wheel movement!

[JanGroen]

What is the maximum steering angle with these hubs?

[Seasider]

great review @Jim just enough details to keep us entertained. I'm definitely going to get this, but most probably ask Father Christmas for this

I think this stands up well next to models like the Unimog and the recent "UCS" Porsche and Bugatti

[MajklSpajkl]

Thank you for the review @Jim. You never disappoint! I like the model much better now, than I was ranting about it  in the beginning. I saw it IRL and it really does look cool. Still dwelling on it, but leaning a bit more to just buying the new rims... I have plenty of other parts and although olive green looks very nice there just isn't enough of Technic parts in that colour to justify it for me. But who knows... never say never.

Edited October 22, 2019 by MajklSpajkl

[blondasek]

I love that review! About the model, I am only disappointed that TLG did not include black 3l pins in the set, so the body would look much better.

[Aleh]

Hi Jim! Thank you for the review - it was interesting to read and saw the pictures :)

[Didumos69]

Thanks for the review! Just ordered it based on this. See possibilities for another B model .