This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Technic theme. While the theme has existed longer than I have, this is my first ever Technic set. I went from being a LEGO fan into my dark ages without ever making the transition to the more advanced theme.
With that confession out of the way, here is my review of 42065 RC Tracked Racer.
I was initially interested in this set for one simple reason – the finished model looked like a heap of fun. Far too often I build a set and then stick it on a shelf or (more often these days) put it away in a cupboard until I can find room. The RC Tracked Racer on the other hand was something that had the potential for on-going enjoyment.
Construction
As I mentioned – this is my first ever Technic set. I don’t have an extensive knowledge of Technic set design so I can’t really comment on how the construction compares to other sets.
The construction of this set essentially takes place in three phases – firstly you build the underlying framework; the chassis that holds the whole thing together. This was honestly my least favourite part of the construction. It’s a bit fiddly and it’s not until the later steps that it really starts to take shape. It was during this phase when I discovered that you need to pay more attention during a Technic build than a regular set build. There were admittedly a few times where I had to go back and move a pin over because I’d misplaced it.
The second phase is adding in the Power Functions elements. The set features two motors; one at the front and one at the rear. Each motor drives one track. The motors are connected to the large battery box, which takes 6 AA batteries. A tip would be to put in some batteries during construction because it’s a lot easier than when the set is finished. As this is an RC vehicle the final part of the Power Functions setup is the RC receiver.
The novelty of having wires and making sure the connectors went in the right place was a bit weird for me. It kind of felt like I was doing something other than building a LEGO set.
The final phase of the construction is creating the outer body of the set. This is the part that turns it from two motorised tracks to an RC Racer. The body is built using a combination of beams and panels. It’s a relatively straight-forward build with only a few steps that had me double checking that I was doing things right.
The outer body uses all of the included stickers. I generally hate stickers but I am not sure how practical it would have been to print all of the elements that get a sticker.
Once the body is connected to the chassis the tracks get assembled and attached. With 74 track pieces it’s a little bit tedious clicking them all together, but it’s unavoidable. I suggest making both the tracks before putting either on, just to make sure you haven’t miscounted and ended up with one longer than the other. I totally didn’t make that mistake myself.
My build time was a bit broken up but overall the construction took no more than 2 hours.
Set Opinions
I am really impressed with how the finished build looks. Aesthetically the large tracks make it look imposing and powerful. I love the green colour and the racing stripe is well executed.
I generally am not a fan of stickers but I can’t say they don’t add to the overall look of the set. If you wanted you could easily leave them off and it not look terrible, but I think they are worth applying here.
The set uses a lot of batteries – the vehicle uses 6 AA batteries while the remote uses 3 AAAs. If you plan on using this set a lot I’d suggest investing in some rechargeable batteries. One issue that I experienced is that to open the remote you will need to remove a small screw – It took me ages to find a screwdriver small enough. Just something to be aware of.
The battery box can be accessed by flipping open the body and removing two pins. As I mentioned this is a little bit fiddly.
As 2017 is the 40th anniversary of Technic the set includes a printed 40th anniversary element. It’s a nice touch and will probably make the set more interesting in the future.
Something that I don’t get to do often with a LEGO set is test out it’s performance but this set is essentially an RC car once completed. The large tracks help provide great traction on a variety of surfaces while the two motors manage to provide a decent speed. I had great fun driving the Tracked Racer around.
I will be putting the finished model through its paces with a series of challenges in a separate video.
Buying Guide
The set has an Australian RRP of $119.99. With 20% off being easily achievable your goal price for this set should be $95 or less. It has been out for a few months now so stock may be harder to find.
Kmart has the set listed on their website for $95, so price matching may be an option. You can view the product page here; http://www.kmart.com.au/product/lego-technic-rc-tracked-racer—42065/1303306
It is also listed for $95 on the Big W website.
The best possible price would likely be a 20% off sale at Big W, but these are fairly rare.
Final Verdict
I really enjoyed the build of this set, and the finished model is great to drive around. The added fun of RC makes this a fantastic set to own. For $95 I think it’s a great buy particularly if you are a Technic fan.
Gallery
Notes: In my photos I had the spoiler sitting on top of the RC receiver. It gave the body of vehicle a slight angle but only very minor. This set was provided to me by LEGO for review purposes but that does not have any bearing on my opinion.
Just wondering if now that you are a Recognised LEGO Fan Media if you have to have certain stories published at the top of your page or something similar. I note that the set was provided by Lego and this is the first time I have seen a story make it back to the top of the page after it has moved down.
Nothing to do with LEGO. I don’t do a heap of reviews, so I thought I’d bump it back up to the top for a little bit for anybody that may have missed it. I’ll usually sticky a competition and repost about events if I post about them more than a week out too.