One of the reasons why I like assembling Lego is also linked to the fact of being able to comment and give my vision on the object in question, but not only this. In general I also use another criterion when I select a Lego, that is to look for something that is linked to a personal story. Stories like in the case of the Lamborghini Countach, the Ducati Panigale or controversial theories that come to mind just as I assemble a Lego like in the case of the Pagani Utopia. In fact, every Lego, whether it is architecture or a reproduction of a vehicle, always gives me inspiration to elaborate my own ideas or brings me back to memories or stories that I have experienced. Obviously this is also due to my mind without taboos that leads me to write exactly what I think. I had been looking for something or some ideas to talk about Ayrton Senna for a long time and when Lego launched this set, it practically read my mind. In reality this set is dedicated to the McLaren MP4/4 and only in part to Senna, since he was the driver who won the drivers' world championship in 1988, a record year for this car. In fact, this vehicle is one of the best single-seaters ever built and above all one of the most victorious, having won 15 out of 16 grand prix in 1988. In that year, the contenders for the world title were basically the two drivers of this car; Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and to my great pleasure the Brazilian driver won. Although this set is in fact focused on the car and its construction, my thoughts always go to Senna and it is about him that I want to talk briefly before analyzing the set and giving my impressions about it. Always labeled as incorrect, dangerous and unsportsmanlike, in reality Ayrton Senna was simply himself. The media follow the rules imposed by their masters and establish what is right and what is wrong in an arbitrary way, that is, if you follow their rules you are good, if you are a free spirit you are bad because you go against their interests. Ayrton Senna was himself, he followed his instinct and his heart, he was not subject to the indoctrination imposed by the elite through school, for this reason he was uncomfortable. Personally, as a child I was led to believe that Senna was bad, incorrect because my mother said this and as children we respected the authority represented by our parents. However, my mother was not an expert in F1 or Senna but simply limited herself to repeating what the corrupt journalists and servants of the masters said. However, I have always felt closer to Senna's behavior rather than that of the so-called correct drivers who were nothing but boring. The point is that to get to this point I also had to be a rebel and "incorrect", because I disobeyed my mother's education that labeled Senna as incorrect. Secretly I began to love Senna and follow him through newspapers and TV reports, little by little I discovered that his personality was not what the journalists described and in a certain way this "study" not only led me to understand the real person of Senna but also to understand aspects of my personality in a sort of self-analysis. I remember that there was one episode in particular that served as a turning point for me to finally love Senna and it was a commercial. I don't remember what it was advertising but there was a child who wanted something and to bring it to him, to the child's amazement and happiness, Ayrton Senna arrived. I remember that my child's thoughts were made of pure logic: if Ayrton Senna makes a child happy, then he can't be bad. On the tragic day of the accident, I was watching the Grand Prix live, those were times when everything was broadcast free-to-air on public television and without paying. After the safety car due to the accident right at the start, the race resumed and after a few laps I saw Senna's Williams crash into the wall of the Tamburello curve, without the slightest sign of a swerve. It was immediately clear that the thing was serious even if there had been the slightest hint of movement by the driver. The commentators tried to hide the seriousness or at least give hope, one of them, a very famous Italian commentator who was always connected from the pit lane, thinking he was not on camera, nodded to another person as if to say "there is nothing more to be done". In the moments of uncertainty, when the journalists with their underhanded reporting gave hope, I remember that I made another logical reasoning: if Ayrton Senna had survived, then he would have been a good person, forever denying my doubts about good and evil. Unfortunately Senna was in critical condition and already at the moment of the tracheotomy, for some strange reason, his whole life appeared before my eyes. His life seen from my perspective; grand prix, photos, interviews and that advert with the child. I didn't follow the phases of his recovery constantly because I understood that he wouldn't live, I spent that time developing, thanks to Senna, the concept of good and evil. Even before he died, I understood that Senna was good, because he was a genuine person who followed his instinct, if others didn't understand and rather than form their own opinion, they repeated the nonsense that the media said, that was their problem. Today I am ten years older than Ayrton was when he died, thanks to his example I have always lived my own way and even today Senna remains an incredible source of inspiration! Assembly Process I had seen the car assembled in the Leeds store during my holiday in England last August. On that occasion I could see that the car was quite large so I was not surprised when after opening the nice box I saw that there were 6 large bags. However, this detail did not help me to perceive the assembly times, understood as days. In bag number 1, steps 1-23 were covered, however there were ten preventive steps that concerned the assembly of the podium with the plaque dedicated to Ayrton Senna. The assembly process of the first twenty steps was quite simple and at 20 I had assembled a flat surface, what looked like the chassis. Although I could not understand which part was the front compared to the rear, at step 23 I added a series of flat bricks to the floor that looked like the six cylinders of the car plus pipes to reproduce parts of the exhaust process. The first day I assembled only one bag and the time taken was about 25 minutes. Envelope number 2 covered steps 24-60 and assembly concerned the suspensions that to me immediately seemed to be the front ones. In step 40 I mounted the twin and upper part of the suspension since it is a double-arm component. In step 48 I then noticed a detail that has already happened to me with other Lego and I can't understand if it is intentional or not. To mount the "Shell" sticker on the first side, I first had to disassemble a block of three bricks. In this way I was able to apply the sticker more comfortably and correctly. If I had gone schematically following the instructions I would have had difficulty applying the sticker and personally I believe that these things are done on purpose to test the intelligence and mental flexibility especially of the little ones. I had to do the same thing in step 55 applying the sticker on the other side except that in this case I mounted the small bricks later. To assemble the contents of bag number two I spent about half an hour where I assembled the front suspension and the lower part of the two sides. It was a linear and symmetrical assembly and also in this case I followed the process stopping at bag number two without continuing but leaving the next bag for another day. With envelope number 3 I covered steps 61-96, which focused exclusively on the front of the car. The assembly of the front suspension, combined with the assembly of the tunnel where the legs are positioned, served to convey the proportions of the car once added to the body. The process was simple, while assembling the driver's seat, made up of many small parts, proved to be much more laborious. The positioning of the handlebars, gear shift and seat was meticulous also because the space to work was very small and closed. The final steps involved the external covering of the passenger compartment, a decidedly simple process. The time taken to assemble envelope 3 was approximately 25 minutes. Envelope number 4 covered steps 97-132 and initially involved assembling small parts in the tail of the car. Then the assembly moved to the front with the assembly and fixing of the nose, a laborious but beautiful step. I really like it when there are components to assemble separately and then fixed to the body. In this case, since it was an original component like the nose of a single-seater, it was even more satisfying. Furthermore, the positive thing was that the central part of the nose had the number and sponsors already printed and not reproduced by stickers. This for me is an added value and gives more prestige to the model. However, during this phase I also applied two twin and mirror stickers with the word “McLaren”. From step 125 to 130, the assembly process then returned to the rear with the assembly and fixing of the wing. Once the side parts of the spoiler were assembled with the application of the stickers with the number 12, the contents of bag 4 were completed. It took me about 40 minutes to complete the process. Envelope number 5 covered steps 133-160 and was essentially focused on the separate assembly of the part of the chassis that served as the engine cover. In other words, I mounted a symmetrical component that I then assembled to the rest of the body. The last steps were those of fixing the tires, one of the simplest operations for a Lego car. The time taken to assemble envelope 5 was just under 20 minutes. The same day I also assembled envelope number 6 which was dedicated to assembling the stand where the car rested, a phase that took only 5 minutes of time and that did not require particular attention or gave satisfaction. In conclusion, I assembled the six envelopes in five days, following the model dictated by the instructions except for the last envelope. Once completed, the McLaren MP4/4 is about 35 centimeters long, 17 wide at the rear axle and 14 at the front. These are perfect dimensions that I liked already while I was assembling the model. In fact, this car, more than a Lego, really seems like a pure modeling object, thanks to the fact that it is mainly composed of flat bricks. The car is simply beautiful, in terms of fidelity, size, details and as an interpretation of a Lego model. In this case I am not driven by my preference towards Senna, in this case I admire the work they did in capturing this car perfectly. The Lego version of the McLaren MP4/4 is one of the types of cars, together with the “Batmobile-Batman vs Joker Chase”, that I appreciate the most for the combination of details-size. In the post on the Batmobile, I said that that car had to represent the standard for the “Speed Champions” but assembling this McLaren I have to say that these dimensions in relation to the details, are the most beautiful I have ever seen so far. I don't know if this is due to the fact that the car is a F1 single-seater but in fact in terms of size it is slightly below some Technic models or other cars in the "Creative" category. Even today, after having assembled dozens of Lego cars, I can't understand why some cars are more beautiful and proportionate than others but the fact is that I immediately perceive this beauty. My wish is that there will always be more Lego cars of this beauty and the hope that they will create more iconic and significant models. GalleryA.M.
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