Lego 8070 Supercar

A little Christmas diversion... Citymarket had an offer too good to refuse... Lego 8070 Supercar! Get the kids to bed and the fun can begin... First, of course, the tyres go on the rims, regardless of what the instructions say.

The gearbox mechanism has come quite a way since the 8865 (I got one in the late eighties, and it's still on the shelf). This one doesn't actually change gears, though: it directs power from the electric motor to different functions — the doors, bonnet and rear spoiler.

This didn't turn into a terribly long build diary after all, but I'll let the photos do the talking. It was fun — hard to think of a better way to spend the Christmas holidays...

Once the kids are asleep, the real Christmas Eve jobs begin…

Parts out of the bags, with the smallest ones in their own little bowls. And of course the tyres go on the rims first, even though the instructions leave that until the very end…

The “gearbox” coming together.

The “gearbox”. Well, not a real gearbox, but this assembly lets you select where the motor sends its power: the rear spoiler, Lambo doors or bonnet.

The differential.

The differential and rear axle have moved on a bit since the late eighties and the 8865 Test Car.

One third of the instructions done. At this point it looks more like a spaceship or something…

Front axle

Crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons. The other cylinder bank is in the background.

V8 assembled.

Front axle fitted. The steering rack sits ahead of the axle.

Two thirds of the instructions done. It's starting to look like a car.

A few individual parts worth a look:

This odd-looking piece turned out to be a wheel hub.

They still use these universal joints too. I need to get a few spares so I can fix up the late-eighties 8865 Test Car. These were its weak point…

To finish off, I had to try the Cinemagraph feature on my new Lumia phone. It can make animated GIFs of whatever you're filming. Here's an example. I ran the door up and down with the motor while recording.